Romanos metropolitan of Kyzikos and synkellos (eleventh century)
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.707 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Previous Editions | DOSeals 3: 53.8. Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 1163c (listing other editions). |
Obverse
The Virgin seated on a high-backed throne nursing the Child. Sigla: ̅ΘΥ̅ : Mή(τη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ. Within a border of dots, a circular inscription:
+ΚΕΟΘ..ΟΕΙΣΣΕΕ.ΠΙ......ΑΤΑΙΣΧΥΝΕΤ,
Κ(ύρι)ε ὁ Θ[(εό)ς μ]ου, ὁ εἰς σὲ ἐ[λ]πί[ζων οὐ κ]αταισχύνετ(αι)
Reverse
Inscription of seven lines. Border of dots.
ΘΚΕ,Θ,
ΤΣΔΟΥ
Λ,ΡΩΜΑΝ
Μ̅Ρ̅Ο̅ΠΟΛΙΤΗ
ΚΥΙΚΟΥS
ΣΥΓΚΕΛ
Λ
Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) τῷ σῷ δούλ(ῳ) Ῥωμανῷ μ(ητ)ροπολίτῃ Κυζίκου (καὶ) συγκέλλῳ
Translation
Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ εἰς σὲ ἐλπίζων οὐ καταισχύνεται.
Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ῥωμανῷ μητροπολίτῃ Κυζίκου καὶ συγκέλλῳ.
The Lord my God, the man who places his hope in You is not disappointed.
Mother of God, help your servant Romanos, metropolitan of Kyzikos and synkellos.
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.707 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Previous Editions | DOSeals 3: 53.8. Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden I, no. 1163c (listing other editions). |
Bibliography
- Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden Teil 1: A - M
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, vol. 3: West, Northwest, and Central Asia Minor and the Orient
- Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin, vol. 5, L’Église
- Istoriceskoe znacenie italo-greceskoj ikonopisi: Izobra zenija Bogomatera v prozvedenijah italo-greceskih ikonopiscev i ih vlijanie na kompozicii nekotoryh proslavlennyh russkih ikon
- Byzantine Lead Seals, vol. 2
- Un décret synodal inédit du patriarche Jean VIII Xiphilin
- The Cult of Galaktotrophousa in Byzantium and Italy
- Kleinasiatische Ortsnamen
- Die Städte Kleinasiens im 7. und 8. Jahrhundert
Commentary
The obverse inscription visible on the Zacos specimen (Seals II, no. 879) allows us to rectify the erroneous reading and restitution of Lihačev (IZIGI, 163) and Laurent, who suggested ἀποτυγχάνει instead of καταισχύνεται. The owner was likely Romanos of Kyzikos who signed a synodal document of 1072, specifically identifying himself as a synkellos (Oikonomides, "Un décret," 57). He was succeeded by Symeon who occupied the throne in 1079. For the uncommon representation of the Virgin, see A. Cutler, "The Cult of the Galaktotrophousa in Byzantium and Italy," JÖB 37 (1987), 335-50.