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Niketas metropolitan of Klaudioupolis (eighth/ninth century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin holding a medallion of Christ. At left, a cruciform monogram comprised of the letters Θ at left, Ε at right, Κ at bottom, and Τ, in ligature with Ο at top; at right, a cruciform monogram comprised of the letters Θ at left, Η at right, Β at bottom, and Ο at top: Θεοτόκε βοήθει. Circular inscription, beginning at one o'clock, between two wreath borders.

πνγ...εοτοκεβοη...

Παναγ[ία Θ]εοτόκε βοή[θει]

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.

νικητ
ητροπολ
λβδιουπ
SδλΧ̅Υ̅

Νικήτᾳ [μ]ητροπολ(ίτῃ) [Κ]λαβδιοπ(όλεως) (καὶ) δούλ(ῳ) Χ(ριστο)ῦ

Obverse

Bust of the Virgin holding a medallion of Christ. At left, a cruciform monogram comprised of the letters Θ at left, Ε at right, Κ at bottom, and Τ, in ligature with Ο at top; at right, a cruciform monogram comprised of the letters Θ at left, Η at right, Β at bottom, and Ο at top: Θεοτόκε βοήθει. Circular inscription, beginning at one o'clock, between two wreath borders.

πνγ...εοτοκεβοη...

Παναγ[ία Θ]εοτόκε βοή[θει]

Reverse

Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.

νικητ
ητροπολ
λβδιουπ
SδλΧ̅Υ̅

Νικήτᾳ [μ]ητροπολ(ίτῃ) [Κ]λαβδιοπ(όλεως) (καὶ) δούλ(ῳ) Χ(ριστο)ῦ

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.503
Diameter 32.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 4, no. 7.4.
Laurent, Corpus V/1, no. 474.

Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

Παναγία Θεοτόκε βοήθει Νικήτᾳ μητροπολίτῃ Κλαβδιοπόλεως καὶ δούλῳ Χριστοῦ.

All-holy Theotokos, help Niketas, metropolitan of Klaudioupolis and servant of Christ.

Commentary

Laurent took the opening word of the circular inscription as Πανύ[μνητε] and dated the specimen to the second half of the ninth century. We believe that our seal dates from the period between the two iconoclasms (787-815) because it represents the Virgin between two monograms, contains the double-loop beta at the bottom of the monogram on the obverse and line three on the reverse, and displays wreath borders enclosing the obverse and reverse fields. The owner of the present seal is likely Niketas of Klaudioupolis, who attended the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 (Mansi, XII, 994B, 1091E; XIII, 381D).

Bibliography

  • De Thematibus (Open in Zotero)
  • Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 4: The East (Open in Zotero)
  • Η Μικρά Ασία των θεμάτων. Ἐρευνες πάνω στην γεωγραφική φυσιογνωμία και προσωπογραφία των βυζαντινών θεμάτων της Μικράς Ασίας (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Paphlagonien und Honorias (Open in Zotero)
  • Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
  • Sacrorum conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio (Open in Zotero)