The imperial kommerkia of Thrace and Macedonia (820/1)
Obverse
Bust of Michael II above an exergual line wearing chlamys and crown with cross. Circular inscription in mixed Greek and Latin letters along the upper wreath border. Indiction signs in the exergue.
MIXAΗLbASILEU I ΙΔ
Mixaηl basileus. Ἰνδικτιὼν ιδˊ.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
.ΝΒ
ΚΟΜΕΡΚΙ
ΘΡΚΜ
ΚΕΔΟΝ
Τῶν βασιλικῶν κομερκίων Θρᾴκης καὶ Μακεδονίας
Obverse
Bust of Michael II above an exergual line wearing chlamys and crown with cross. Circular inscription in mixed Greek and Latin letters along the upper wreath border. Indiction signs in the exergue.
MIXAΗLbASILEU I ΙΔ
Mixaηl basileus. Ἰνδικτιὼν ιδˊ.
Reverse
Inscription of four lines. Wreath border.
.ΝΒ
ΚΟΜΕΡΚΙ
ΘΡΚΜ
ΚΕΔΟΝ
Τῶν βασιλικῶν κομερκίων Θρᾴκης καὶ Μακεδονίας
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.691 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30.0 mm; field: 24.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 1, no. 43.17. |
Translation
Mixaηl basileus. Ἰνδικτιὼν ιδˊ. Τῶν βασιλικῶν κομερκίων Θρᾴκης καὶ Μακεδονίας.
Michael emperor. Indiction 14. (Seal of) the imperial kommerkiarioi of Thrace and Macedonia.
Bibliography
- Catalogue of the Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and at the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 1: Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black Sea (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 1 (Open in Zotero)
- A Collection of Dated Byzantine Lead Seals (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantine Lead Seals, Vol. 2 (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)
- Philippes et la Macédoine orientale à l’époque chrétienne et byzantine; recherches d’histoire et d’archéologie (Open in Zotero)
- Byzantinische Rang- und Ämterstruktur im 8. und 9. Jahrhundert: Faktoren und Tendenzen ihrer Entwicklung (Open in Zotero)
- La Macédoine orientale à l’époque byzantine: à propos d'un livre récent (Open in Zotero)
- Sigillographie de l’Empire byzantin (Open in Zotero)
- Theophanes Continuatus, Ioannes Cameniata, Symeon Magister, Georgius Monachus (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
This emperor cannot be Michael I (811-813), who did not reign during a 14th indiction; nor can it be Michael III (842-867), who reigned together with his mother in 850/1, the earliest 14th indiction of his reign, at a time when dated seals were no longer ins use. The ensuing attribution to Michael II (820-829) is also supported by numismatic parallels (cf. Grierson, Catalogue III/1, pl. 20).