Theophilos (829–30/31)
Obverse
Bust of Theophilos, bearded, wearing a crown surmounted with a cross and a loros. He holds a globus cruciger in his right hand and in his left a cross scepter. Circular inscription. Border of dots.
ΘEOF..OSSILE
Θeof[il]os basileu(s).
Obverse
Bust of Theophilos, bearded, wearing a crown surmounted with a cross and a loros. He holds a globus cruciger in his right hand and in his left a cross scepter. Circular inscription. Border of dots.
ΘEOF..OSSILE
Θeof[il]os basileu(s).
Reverse
Blank.
Accession number | BZS.1955.1.4281 (formerly DO 55.1.4281) |
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Diameter | 23.0 mm |
Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 45.1; Zacos–Veglery, no. 52. |
Translation
Θeofilos basileus.
Theophilos, basileus.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (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
The design and inscription on this seal are identical to those on the obverse of Theophilos’s earliest gold issues (class 1 solidus), dated by Grierson to 829–30/31 (DOC 3.1:1a.2 [pl. 22]).
On the obverse it is not possible to discern the globus in the emperor’s right hand, but one can see the cross surmounting it.