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John proedros and sakellarios of the domus divina (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with the medallion of Christ on her chest. On either side the sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Two twelve-syllable verses forming an inscription of six lines beginning with a cross. Border of dots.

Ι̅ΑˋeΔp,
παναγνεσκε
ποισσακελλα
ριτθενυ
μμδο
μμ
 

Ἰωάννην πρόεδρον, πάναγνε, σκέποις, σακελλάριον τοῦ θεωνύμμου δόμμου.

Obverse

Bust of the Mother of God orans with the medallion of Christ on her chest. On either side the sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Μήτηρ Θεοῦ. Border of dots.

Reverse

Two twelve-syllable verses forming an inscription of six lines beginning with a cross. Border of dots.

Ι̅ΑˋeΔp,
παναγνεσκε
ποισσακελλα
ριτθενυ
μμδο
μμ
 

Ἰωάννην πρόεδρον, πάναγνε, σκέποις, σακελλάριον τοῦ θεωνύμμου δόμμου.

Accession number BZS.1947.2.847
Diameter 22.0 mm; field: 20.0 mm
Previous Editions

Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 989.

Translation

Ἰωάννην πρόεδρον, πάναγνε, σκέποις, σακελλάριον τοῦ θεωνύμμου δόμμου.

All-holy one, watch over John the proedros and sakellarios of the domus divina.

Commentary

The owner of this seal used the poetic term theonymou domou to refer to the domus divina, or the private property of the imperial family. In his unpublished catalogue, Laurent proposed that the term was a collective singular encompassing all imperial houses whose management would thus appear to have been centralised by the second half of the eleventh century. He also suggested that the owner could be identified with a John Rhadenos mentioned in an imperial diploma from 1088 (MM VI, 51). Wassiliou-Seibt proposes another interpretation, taking theonymou domou as a circumlocution for Hagia Sophia and seeing the owner as a sakellarios of the Patriarchate.

Note that the engraver added not just one but two superfluous letters.

Bibliography

  • Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, Vol. 1, Siegellegenden von Alpha bis inclusive My (Open in Zotero)