Skip to Content

Epiphanios illoustrios (?) (sixth/seventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin, nimbate, facing, between two crosses, with the medallion of Christ with a nimbus cruciform before her. Wreath border.

Reverse

Cruciform monogram. Wreath border.

α - ε - ι - λ - ν - ο - π - - τ - υ - φ

Ἐπιφανίου ἰλλουστρίου (?)

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin, nimbate, facing, between two crosses, with the medallion of Christ with a nimbus cruciform before her. Wreath border.

Reverse

Cruciform monogram. Wreath border.

α - ε - ι - λ - ν - ο - π - - τ - υ - φ

Ἐπιφανίου ἰλλουστρίου (?)

Accession number BZS.1947.2.1655
Diameter 25.0 mm; field: 15.0 mm

Translation

Ἐπιφανίου ἰλλουστρίου (?).

(Seal of) Epiphanios illoustrios (?).

Commentary

In his unpublished catalogue to the Shaw collection, Laurent reads Κωνσταντίνου ὑπάτου (Constantine hypatos) as somewhat certain. That reading has been rejected here, in light of the Φ in the middle of the cruciform monogram, which Laurent had read as an Ω. This reading also requires that the letter in ligature with the Π on the left arm of the cruciform be read as an Ε and not a Κ, a fact made more likely by the slight elongation and serif on its lower bar moving it past the bottom line of the Π. With the assumption that there is an Α at the lower arm of the cruciform and a Ν-Σ ligature on the right arm, the given reading here seems the most satisfactory for the given visible letters. An alternative reading is Ἐπιφανίου στρατηγοῦ, but would be unlikely on this early of a seal. If there is no Σ in ligature with the Ν, then the better reading is Ἐπιφανίου ὑπάτου (Epiphanios hypatos), although then Νεοφύτου ὑπάτου (Neophytos hypatos) would also be a possibility..