Leo VI and Alexander (post-886)
Obverse
Half-length representation of Archangel Michael holding a sword in his right hand and in his left a globus cruciger. Circular inscription. No visible border.
ΑΡΧ,ΜΙΧΑ. . .
Ἀρχ(άγγελος) Μιχα[ήλ]
Reverse
Two half-length figures: at left, Leo VI, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys; at right, Alexander, more diminutive, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys. They hold between them a labarum ornamented with streamers. Circular inscription. No visible border.
LEOCEA...
Leon ce A[lexan(dros) aug(usti)]
Obverse
Half-length representation of Archangel Michael holding a sword in his right hand and in his left a globus cruciger. Circular inscription. No visible border.
ΑΡΧ,ΜΙΧΑ. . .
Ἀρχ(άγγελος) Μιχα[ήλ]
Reverse
Two half-length figures: at left, Leo VI, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys; at right, Alexander, more diminutive, wearing a crown surmounted by a cross and a chlamys. They hold between them a labarum ornamented with streamers. Circular inscription. No visible border.
LEOCEA...
Leon ce A[lexan(dros) aug(usti)]
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1655 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 23.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 54.1. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Translation
Ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ. Leon ce Alexandros augusti.
Archangel Michael. Leo and Alexander, augusti.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 3, Leo III to Nicephorus III (717–1081) (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Leo VI reigned from 29 August 886 until 11 May 912. Coins (for example, Grierson class 2 follis: DOC 3.2:6.2) depict the emperor and his brother seated on a double throne, with Alexander as the smaller figure. They hold a labarum between them, decorated with an X, and Alexander holds an akakia in his left hand.
After the letters ARX, the inscription on the obverse is uncertain. In his unpublished catalogue of the Fogg Collection, Laurent suggested ΑΡΧΙΓΕΤΑ. The second alpha is fairly clear; the preceeding letter is more likely a X than a T.