So, not exactly coins, but we can of course connect them to numismatics through coinage iconography. Anyway, I was hoping someone here is better with Greek than I am (I am truly horrible with it, and never took it in college). Here are two Byzantine reliquary crosses. On one I can see what I assume is "Demetrios" on the right, but I am not sure of the left. On the other I have no idea at all other than the main figure either Christ or Mary. Any help is appreciated!
Oh. BTW, in case some are not familiar with these they are Byzantine reliquary crosses. There are two halves (these are not from the same piece) with a hollow space inside for a relic, usually bits of bone, cloth, skin, wood, etc. usually purported to have been associated with a saint or Jesus himself.
On my phone and can't use Greek font, but the symbol before the names on the cross in the bottom photo stands for 'AGIOC, which means "saint." The name on the left is GEWRGHOC (George) and DHMHTRHOC (Demetrius) on the right.
Nice! I had thought someone once told me it was George, but so many years have passed I forgot. As to the other one.....?
The inscription is so poorly rendered, it is illegible and I'm a professor of Biblical Greek! Perhaps it's in another middle-eastern script.
LLLLLoolllllllll!! Looks just like meeeee! Lol! Good one @chrsmat71 ! When I was looking for a prior thread, I saw the @RAGNAROK had once begun a thread about coins that looked like people or something like that and this would have been perfect! You are the official winner of the LaCointessa's best laugh of the day prize. I don't know what that gets you - but it should get you something. I'll message you.
I will piggyback on this thread in the hopes that @Roman Collector or someone can help me out with this seal, which I got as a surprise in a group lot. I understand these are tricky due to the prevalence of major abbreviation.... I can't make out much on the obverse besides (apparently) "IW?" possibly preceded by the symbol for "Saint"... so I am assuming St. John. The reverse is much more legible. The only word I've been able to extract with any confidence (still not much!) is "APXICΔΚΟΝW", i.e. archdeacon, spanning lines 2 and 3. I won't prejudice things by writing out my guesses for the rest of the letters. I would love to be able to decipher a name somewhere there...
The reverse begins KVPIAKѠ, which would be the dative singular form of KVPIAKOC, which is an adjective meaning "belonging to the lord/master." Deacon in the dative case would be ΔΙΑΚΟΝѠ (I'm not sure it doesn't read -ΚΟMѠ but I can't think of what word that might be). The next line has ЄKCVΓ, which I take to be ЄK + CVΓ. Assuming that's a gamma-nasal, it would be followed by a velar stop (Γ, K, or X) and it looks like a X. I'm guessing it says ЄK CVΓXЄAΛ- or CVΓXЄΛΛ- but I don't know what that word might be. Hope this helps. I think we'll be able to figure it out with a bit of googling.
