Epiphanios imperial spatharios and strategos of Hellas (ninth century)
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (indeterminate type); in the quarters: Σ|ΔΛ. Wreath border.
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
ΕΠΙΦ.
ΝΙΒ/ΣΠΘ
ΣΤΡΤΗΓ/
ΕΛΛ/
Κύριε/Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ βασιλικῷ σπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Ἑλλάδος
Obverse
Cruciform invocative monogram (indeterminate type); in the quarters: Σ|ΔΛ. Wreath border.
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
ΕΠΙΦ.
ΝΙΒ/ΣΠΘ
ΣΤΡΤΗΓ/
ΕΛΛ/
Κύριε/Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ βασιλικῷ σπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Ἑλλάδος
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.4319 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 28.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 2, no. 8.42. |
Translation
Κύριε or Θεοτόκε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Ἐπιφανίῳ βασιλικῷ σπαθαρίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ Ἑλλάδος.
Lord or Mother of God, help your servant Epiphanios, imperial spatharios and strategos of Hellas.
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)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- Le Peloponnese byzantin jusqu’en 1204 (Open in Zotero)
- Du stratège de thème au duc: chronologie de l’évolution au cours du XIe siècle (Open in Zotero)
- Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (Open in Zotero)
- Hellas und Thessalia (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Organisation der Tagmata (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
Zacos-Veglery suggested that the owner of the present seal, at an earlier stage of his career, had been tourmarches of Hellas and issued seals (cf. BZS 1958.106.3640) in this capacity. It is true that these seals belong to the same period of time and present similarities in their epigraphic layouts. We consider this hypothesis plausible but far from secure. To further weaken this hypothesis, the name Epiphanios has a spelling mistake on the DO seal cited above.