Constantine doux, nobellisimos, and archon (eleventh/twelfth century)
Obverse
Saints Theodore (left) and George standing, holding spears and shields. Sigla at left and right: θ|εο||ρο γ|εο|ργ|ι/ : Θεόδωρος | Γεόργιος. Border of dots.
Obverse
Saints Theodore (left) and George standing, holding spears and shields. Sigla at left and right: θ|εο||ρο γ|εο|ργ|ι/ : Θεόδωρος | Γεόργιος. Border of dots.
Reverse
Inscription of six lines, a cross above. Border of dots.
οιμρτυρ,σ
σζοιτετισ
μΧισουκ
νελλισιμον
τρχοντονκ
νστντινον
Οἱ μάρτυρες σώζοιτε ταῖς μάχαις δούκα νωβελλίσιμον τἀρχόντον Κωνσταντῖνον
Accession number | BZS.1958.106.3263 |
---|---|
Diameter | 29.0 mm; field: 27.0 mm |
Previous Editions | W. Seibt, "The eastern frontiers of Byzantium in the decennia after Manzikert: Can seals help reconstruct developments?" SBS 12 (2016), 30-31. Cf. Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 1577. |
Translation
Οἱ μάρτυρες σώζοιτε ταῖς μάχαις δούκα νωβελλίσιμον τἀρχόντον Κωνσταντῖνον.
Martyrs, may you preserve Constantine in battle, doux, nobellisimos, and archon.
Bibliography
- Studies in Byzantine Sigillography (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Seibt reads τάρχόντον as a condensation of τῶν ἀρχόντων and suggests that the owner may have been the Constantine who carved out a small realm on the Euphrates at Karkar (today Gerger) and was active in the affairs of the east from the 1080s until his death in 1114.