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George Chrousos (?), imperial episkeptites of Alopekai (eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Bust of St. George holding spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand. Vertical inscription: |γ|ε-|ρ|γ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Γεώργ(ιος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of at least five lines preceded by an ornament. Border of dots.

– + –
γεργ
επισκ,
πτιτ,τον
.λοπεκ,τ
σ.

Γεωργ(ίῳ) β(ασιλικῷ) ἐπισκ(ε)πτίτ(ῃ) τον [Ἀ]λοπεκ(ῶν) τ[(ῷ) Χ]ρουσ[ῷ] (?).

Obverse

Bust of St. George holding spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand. Vertical inscription: |γ|ε-|ρ|γ : Ὁ ἅ(γιος) Γεώργ(ιος). Border of dots.

Reverse

Inscription of at least five lines preceded by an ornament. Border of dots.

– + –
γεργ
επισκ,
πτιτ,τον
.λοπεκ,τ
σ.

Γεωργ(ίῳ) β(ασιλικῷ) ἐπισκ(ε)πτίτ(ῃ) τον [Ἀ]λοπεκ(ῶν) τ[(ῷ) Χ]ρουσ[ῷ] (?).

Accession number BZS.1958.106.4127
Diameter 21.0 mm
Previous Editions

DO Seals 3, no. 5.1.

Translation

Γεωργίῳ βασιλικῷ ἐπισκεπτίτῃ τον Ἀλοπεκῶν τῷ Χρουσῷ.

George Chrousos (?), imperial episkeptites of Alopekai.

Commentary

The restoration of the family name is not certain, but the form Χρουσός instead of Χρυσός is attested on another seal (Sig., 638). One could also read [Π]ρουσ[αεῖ] or [Π]ρουσ[ιανῷ]. The late and sadly missed Russian scholar Alexander Kazhdan raised the possiblity that the name could be construed as Drousos or Drosos.

The imperial domain (episkepsis) of Alopekai was situated near Miletus, by the Maeander River. In 1073, it was under the control of the sekreton of the euageis oikoi (cf. Oikonomides, Évolution, 138-139). It was administrated by an episkeptites, who received as gratuities (synetheia) 10% of the taxes paid by the paroikoi attached to the episkepsis. See Patmos II, 20, 25, 33-34.

Bibliography

  • 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 (Open in Zotero)
  • L’évolution de l’organisation administrative de l’empire byzantin au XIe siècle (1025–1118) (Open in Zotero)
  • Βυζαντινὰ ἔγγραφα τῆς Μονῆς Πάτμου, Vol. 2, Δημοσίων λειτουργῶν (Open in Zotero)