Well, I am not talking here per se about coins, but seals, more specifically: Byzantine seals. I very rarely see them placed here on the forum, but I occasionally obtain some. For several reasons: First of all, a seal is the history of an individual, it was something personal, and in that sense you can even be closer to the people who lived in the past compared to a coin (yes coins were touched by everyone but were universal) Besides that, as an Greek orthodox the iconography of course attracts me, as the seals often feature saints, and some more obscure saints as well that you normally do not hear that much about. In that sense it is actually a piece of 'religious' history as well, besides it's history of the Byzantine empire. First of all, what is a seal and what was it used for in the Byzantine empire? From simple monks to highly placed officials and emperors used lead seals to “lock” official and private correspondence and to validate or authenticate documents. Each seal was personally made and the individual reflected their image, beliefs and perspective. Many of the seals contain prayers with a wide variety of iconography, most often their name protector (such as an individual called George, would select the image of Saint George on his seal). Because of these seals we learned a lot about the many civil and military careers and their locations in the Byzantine empire. I want to show a couple of seals in my collection and explain in short what each individual was back in the times: Konstantinos, spatharokandidatos, First half 11th century. Lead Seal. Obverse: Θ / ΔI/M/H-[T]P,/OC Nimbate facing bust of Saint Demetrios, holding a spear over his right shoulder, and resting a shield on his left arm. Reverse: +KЄ RΘ, / KωNCTA / NT,N, CΠ,Θ/…KAΔΔ in four lines. Reference: Unpublished in the standard references. 13.75g; 25mm The above individual, called Konstantinos, selected St. Demetrios as his protector. On the reverse we can read that he is a so called 'spatharokandidatos'. The title had many meanings during the Byzantine empire, but around that time the individual was a mid-ranking Byzantine court dignity intended for "bearded men" (i.e. non-eunuchs). The dignity was associated mostly with mid-level ranks, such as notarioi (notary) and lower judges. Petros, monk and kouboukleisios, 10th century. Lead Seal Obverse: +KЄ R' - TⲰ C Δ. Nimbate facing bust of St. Michael, wearing loros and holding a trefoil scepter in his right hand. Reverse: +ΠЄTP/[O]C MONA/[X], S KOVR૪/KΛHCI' in four lines. Reference: Unpublished in the standard references. 7.80g; 19mm Our next person is Petros, he was a monk and a so called 'kouboukleisios'. It means he was besides a monk also a chamber servant chosen by the emperor, this title was intended for ecclesiastic individuals only. This humble monk on the end still had a quite big responsibility. On the obverse there is a prayer often seen on Byzantine seals "Κύριε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ", it says: 'Lord, help your servant'. Euphemios, imperial protospatharios and courtier of the imperial bedchamber guarded by God, 2nd half of 10th-1st half of 11th century. Lead Seal. Obverse: ... - T/ЄΛ, Nimbate bust of St. Pantaleon, holding medical instruments in his right hand and medicine box in his left. Reverse: +ЄVΦHM / R’A’CΠAΘ, Є/ΠI TOV ΘЄ[O/Φ]VΛAK[TOV] / [K]OIT[ⲰN,] in five lines. Reference: Unpublished in the standard references. 6.21g; 27mm This individual, called Euphemios, selected the saint Pantaleon as his protector. A saint not often seen and very beautifully made on this seal! This individual must have had enough funds to hire a skilled engraver. On the reverse we can read that Mr. Euphemios was an "imperial protospatharios and courtier of the imperial bedchamber guarded by God". In other words, as an imperial protospatharios he had a very important function, he was in charge of parts of the Imperial palace and being a courtier of the imperial bedchamber it seems he most likely was in charge of that area. You might think, he was just taking care of some things in the imperial palace such as the bedchamber, but actually, this was an extreme privilege and a very high rank. Just to imagine how these persons walked around: a protospatharios wore a gold necklet (maniakion) adorned with pearls, a gold-adorned tunic, a golden collar (kloios) and a red doublet with gold facings. Konstantinos, presbyter and imperial cleric, middle 11th century. Lead Seal. Obverse: ...-ΓIO Nimbate facing bust of Saint George, holding sword hilt (?) and resting shield on his left arm. Reverse: +KЄ R,Θ, / KⲰN ΠP[R] / S RAC[IΛ,] / KΛHP/K, in five lines. Reference: Unpublished in the standard references. 17.70g; 24mm Konstantinos select Saint George as his protector. He is a presbyter and imperial cleric, which kind of speaks for itself. He was a high-ranking ecclesiastic individual, and in combination of being an imperial cleric it seems he had some kind of supervising role associated with the emperor as well. An impressive and very thick seal. Pothos, ostiarios and hebdomarios, 2nd half of 10th-1st half of 11th century. Lead Seal Obverse: KЄ ... TⲰ CⲰ ... - M/I – X/A. Nimbate facing bust of St. Michael, holding scepter in his right hand and globe in his left. Reverse: +ΠOΘⲰ / [O]CTIAP, / [KA]I ЄRΔP/MAPIⲰ in four lines, decorations above and below; all within pearled border. Reference: Unpublished in the standard references. 7.80g; 27mm Last but not least, we have a person called Pothos, a quite unusual name. He selected the Archangel Michael, very beautifully engraved on the seal and the wings can be clearly seen. From the reverse we can understand that he was first of al an ostiarios. The word literately means: doorkeeper, usher. He welcomed and ushered visitors in and out of the palace. This title was only reserved for eunuchs, so eventhough he was an eunuch it was still a quite high rank, it was the fourth-lowest dignity for eunuchs. He was also a Hebdomarioi, this means he was in charge of parts of the imperial palace as well. If you want to learn more about seals, I really recommend taking a look at Dumbarton Oaks, they have a wonderful collection of 17.000 seals. Does anyone here collect Byzantine seals as well? If so, please share! And I hope everyone who read this thread learned something new about this piece of history.
Magnificent on all counts, @Pavlos. Not sure which is more impressive, the seals or the research. ...Anything this old that refers to individuals, apart from the issuing authority of a coin, is really compelling. I can't not be reminded of medieval heraldic harness pendants --but with those, all you have is the coat of arms, along with a find spot if you're fortunate; chronology is reducible to informed speculation at best. Not remotely on the same level!
Great write up Pavlos. I do collect Byzantine bronze coins, but no lead seals. This is the only lead seal I own:
An interesting thread with impressive seals and great research. Here's a lump of lead, my only seal, with none of the charm of the OP seals, but still readable: Byzantine lead seal of Athanasios Tourmarches (7th/8th century) Obv: Cruciform monogram inscribed in 4 corners, reading as, ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ ΒΟΗΘΕΙ ΤΩ CΩ (Mother of God, help your...) Rev: Inscription in 4 lines, + ΔΟΥΛΩ ΑΘΑΝΑCΙΩ ΤΟΥΡΜΑΡΧ[Η] (...servant Athanasios Tourmarches) Size: 14g, 23mm And as we have veered off the path from coins to seals....here's an oddity for the medieval enthusiasts - I hit a dead end trying to find out more about this seal. A collector's impression in waxed or oiled plaster? of a 13th-14th Century British medieval seal matrix. An ecclesiastical personal seal matrix belonging to John Suett, archdeacon of London. The seal depicts a figure standing within a church canopy with a praying figure below. Old label on the reverse with inscription: "Sigillii dni Johis Suett Archidia com. London" Dimensions: 70 mm x 50 mm. Age unknown, probably 19th century, but could be much earlier.
That protospatharios seal is fantastic!! I don't collect seals, but this one came in a group lot, unidentified: It sat unidentified (beyond my amateurish attempts) for several years, until @Voulgaroktonou gave me a hand with it. Turned out the guy was archbishop of Ephesus and therefore super important! Also the list of metropolitan archbishops of Ephesus is incomplete in the 10th and 11th centuries, so this seal adds a previously unknown name to history. I am now definitely seeing the attraction of seals! [Edit: with Pavlos's help, we now know who this is! Not unknown to history at all, see below.] Here's my writeup on it: Byzantine lead seal: Constantine [Edit: actually Kyriakos], Archbishop/Metropolitan of Ephesos and Synkellos, c. 11th century. 23mm, 12.05g. Obv: +KEA?…; Facing bust of John the Theologian, raising right hand in benediction and holding Gospels in left, Iω / O/ ΘЄ/OΛ… in left and right fields. Rev: Κυρια / Κω Αρχιε / Π[ις]κοπω ε/Φε κ’ συγ/[κ]ελλω (Lady, help Constantine [Edit: Kyriakos], Archbishop of Ephesus and Synkellos) Unpublished(?) This important seal is a significant piece of history, in that it attests to a previously unknown Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ephesos from the 11th century by the name of Constantine. Despite the dwindling importance of Ephesos commercially, due to its silted-up port, its religious significance was of the highest order. Each metropolitan was an autonomous head of their diocese, with the Patriarchate of Constantinople having the status of “first among equals.” The metropolitan/archbishop of Ephesos placed third in order of precedence (after the metropolitan of Caesarea), which means the owner of this seal was a man of considerable importance. (It is the position that emperor Michael VII occupied after he was deposed in 1078.) In addition, he held the office of Synkellos (literally “same cell,” as in brother monks), an honour given by the emperor himself; thus Constantine was a powerful individual in the secular hierarchy as well. Ephesos would be captured by the Seljuq Turks in 1080, but the title of archbishop retained its significance.
Thank you very much @Al Kowsky! It really is amazing that the seal can be traced back to 1 living individual back in the days, and not hundred years ago, but a thousand years and even more. It just tells us how sophisticated infrastructure and administration the Byzantine empire had, with all it's fancy titles. It really is magnificent. Thank you for your comment. Very interesting seal @Andres2, that indeed is a very unusual seal, most likely indeed intended for something else than documents. Thank you @Sulla80 for your comment and sharing your nice seals. Here is the proof that even with a seal without any iconography and partly visible text you can already figure out what the persons function was and his name etc. Very interesting. Thank you Sev! I saw that seal in your sale, very interesting and a nice piece. An Archbishop or Metropolitan I always find attractive, that is why I hope to obtain the seal of a patriarch somewhere in the future. Regarding your attribution, I agree with it, but not fully . What I noticed is the reverse, you think Κυρια means lady i.e. the virgin Mary here. Κυρια indeed means lady, or madam, but not for our Mother of God. We would call her: Δέσποινα, which also means lady, but more like the 'lady of the house'. She basically is, the “Lady” of the Christian Religion. Or otherwise Mary is called: Θεοτόκε (God-bearer) / Μήτηρ Θεού (mother of God) Secondly, where is the letter for the word 'help'? Thirdly, it is very rare that on the reverse the prayer is written, it is almost always on the obverse. In other words, combine the two words of Κυρια and Κω and you get: Κυριακω i.e. Kyriakos. A very common Greek orthodox name, derived from Kyrios (lord), the name basically means 'holy to the lord'. So we have here: 'Kyriakos, Archbishop of Ephesos and Synkellos.' If you need help for seals in the future I can help you, just write me a message, I have some knowledge and I obviously speak the language. I also have a few Greek acquaintances as well who have all the reference books and even more knowledge than me. Do not hesitate!
Thank you for the interesting post, @Pavlos. And nice seals you have! The protospatharios Euphemios one is just lovely. To answer your question: I don't collect Byzantine seals. I do have one, though. Or rather, I'm awaiting its arrival. I got it partly because I wanted an example in my collection, (I have one or two provincial Greek/Roman seals), partly because I found the withered lettering on its reverse fascinating. Being cheap, it came totally undescribed and unattributed. Not surprisingly, I'm still working on its deciphering it. Most of the obverse is readable, the first line of the reverse as well, the rest is, very fittingly, all Greek to me. The fact that (partial) abbreviations are common on them doesn't help. Add a lack of fixed literation conventions, my lack of knowledge of Byzantine culture and medieval Greek, and you're left with an interesting riddle. By comparing it to other seals this is how far I got: Obv: Saint Georgios, nimbate, facing, holding spear and shield. ΘΑ---- ΓƐωΡΓΙΟ[Σ/S] Rev: 1.+KƐRO 2. ΝΘƐΙΤω, 3. Cω/ΔOVΛω, 4.(ΘƐΟΔω ???) Does this make any sense? Or do you think I should stick to the anepigraphic ones in the future?
Thank you @Ignoramus Maximus! Interesting seal you have, attributing seals can be quite of a challenge but often rewarding. Yours is generally quite visible, so I was willing to spend some time attributing it. The obverse is indeed Saint Georgios. Just looking at the inscription quickly, eventhough it is partly not readable, it makes sense the obverse says: 'Ο ΑΓΙ[ΟΣ] ΓΕωΡΓΙΟ[Σ]' (The Saint Georgios). The reverse is more of a challenge: 1.+KƐRO 2. HΘƐΙ Τω 3. Cω ΔOυΛω 4.ΘƐΟΔω = Κ(ύρι)ε βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ Θεοδώ(ρῳ) = Lord, help your servant Theodore. So, it is a seal from Theodore, ca. 11th century. Unfortunately, not much more information about the individual.
See, that's why I love the people on CT! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to help me solve my riddle, @Pavlos !. It's reassuring to know that I wasn't too far off with my inexperienced deciphering, but I very much doubt if I would have been able to crack the translation (or the dating) without your help! Bravo indeed!
Thank you so much @Pavlos, this is awesome!!! @Voulgaroktonou was puzzled by the first line and you have now made sense of it: the metropolitan in question isn't an unknown "Constantine," but the very much known Kyriakos! He is mentioned at the beginning of John Skylitzes' Synopsis of Histories, which briefly presents Byzantine events from 811-1057. Kyriakos was the brother of Alexios Stoudites, Patriarch of Constantinople from 1025-1043, appointed by Basil II near the end of his life. Skylitzes says: Thus, contrary to all hope and expectation, Romanos escaped the danger of losing his eyes, [surviving] to be girded with imperial authority and proclaimed ruling emperor together with Zoe, daughter of Constantine. No sooner was he seated on the throne than he honoured his subjects with preliminary bounties and inaugural gifts. His earliest benefactions were in the religious domain.... He honoured three metropolitan [bishops] with the title of synkellos: Kyriakos of Ephesus, the patriarch’s brother; Demetrios of Kyzikos, with whom he had been close friends before becoming emperor; and Michael of Euchaita, who was related by blood to Demetrios as they were both born into the family of the Rhadenoi." So the seal confirms Skylitzes' account of Romanus honouring Kyriakos with the title Synkellos. Kyriakos is also a signatory to a number of synodical decisions, and was probably involved in the constant conflict between the metropolitan of Ephesus and the stylite monk, Lazaros of Mount Galesios. So cool!!
A bit earlier than Byzantine. A puzzler. Any thoughts on what it represents would be welcome: Roman Imperial Seal (Lead, 20 mm x 7 mm; 15.89 gm), Circa 3rd-4th century AD. Draped male bust on the left, facing a draped (?) female bust, on the right; above, illegible legend. Gordian III and Tranquillina?
