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Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine (ca. 616–ca. 625)

 
 

Obverse

The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ before her. A cross potent with an elongated vertical shaft at left and right. Wreath border.

Reverse

Bust of Herakleios at left, and a smaller bust of Herakleios Constantine at right. Each wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys fastened with a fibula on the right shoulder. Herakleios is shown with a beard of medium length and Herakleios Constantine beardless. Herakleios wears his hair long at the sides; while the left sidelock hair is combed down and outward, the right one curls inward. Traces of a circular inscription beginning at left. Indeterminate border.

NN..................P....

D(omini) n(ostri) H[eraclius et Hera(clius) Cons]t(antinus) p(er)[p(etui) aug(usti)].

Obverse

The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ before her. A cross potent with an elongated vertical shaft at left and right. Wreath border.

Reverse

Bust of Herakleios at left, and a smaller bust of Herakleios Constantine at right. Each wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys fastened with a fibula on the right shoulder. Herakleios is shown with a beard of medium length and Herakleios Constantine beardless. Herakleios wears his hair long at the sides; while the left sidelock hair is combed down and outward, the right one curls inward. Traces of a circular inscription beginning at left. Indeterminate border.

NN..................P....

D(omini) n(ostri) H[eraclius et Hera(clius) Cons]t(antinus) p(er)[p(etui) aug(usti)].

Accession number BZS.1955.1.4256 (formerly DO 55.1.4256)
Diameter 23.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 6, no. 14.2.

Translation

Domini nostri Heraclius et Heraclius Constantinus perpetui augusti.

Our lords Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine, eternal augusti.

Commentary

On the seals dated ca. 616–ca. 625, Herakleios has a longer beard and Herakleios Constantine’s bust is now somewhat larger than on earlier specimens.  Dating follows the numismatic evidence.

Seibt (Bleisiegel, 69) has employed the following criteria for classifying and dating seals, from ca. 616–ca. 625, with representations of Herakleios and Herakleios Constantine.  (1) ca. 616–ca. 625: the imperial hair style changes, as the ends now curl outward; the Virgin’s right foot supports her weight. (2) ca. 620–25: Herakleios’s beard is longer and thicker.

The cross flanking the Mother of God at right is set lower than the one at left. One can discern that, as on coins, the imperial crown has a cross on a circlet.

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)
  • Die byzantinischen Bleisiegel in Österreich, Vol. 1, Kaiserhof (Open in Zotero)