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The bishop of Alabanda (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Faint outline of the Virgin holding Christ. No inscription visible. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, decoration above. Border of dots.

 
ΠΑΡΘΕ
ΝΕΣΣΟΝ
ΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ,
ΑΛΑΑΝ
ΔΝ

Παρθένε σῶσον πίσκοπον Ἀλαβάνδων

Obverse

Faint outline of the Virgin holding Christ. No inscription visible. Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of five lines, decoration above. Border of dots.

 
ΠΑΡΘΕ
ΝΕΣΣΟΝ
ΠΙΣΚΟΠΟ,
ΑΛΑΑΝ
ΔΝ

Παρθένε σῶσον πίσκοπον Ἀλαβάνδων

Accession number BZS.1958.106.360
Diameter 17.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 2, no. 60.2; Laurent, Corpus V/3, no. 1735; Wassiliou-Seibt, Siegel mit metrischen Legenden II, no. 1770.

Translation

Παρθένε σῶσον ἐπίσκοπον Ἀλαβάνδων.

Virgin, preserve the bishop of Alabanda.

Commentary

It would appear that the epsilon in ἐπίσκοπον was deliberately omitted to preserve a correct dodecasyllabic verse. Cf. BZS 1947.2.150.

Bibliography

  • Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor (Open in Zotero)
  • Le Corpus des sceaux de l’empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
  • Hierarchia Ecclesiastica Orientalis: Series episcoporum ecclesiarum christianarum orientalium (Open in Zotero)
  • Fouilles d’Amyzon en Carie (Open in Zotero)
  • Kleinasiatische Ortsnamen (Open in Zotero)