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DOI: https ://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2020.6.12
UDC 94"04/14":929.651 LBC 63.3(0)4-9
Submitted: 12.08.2020 Accepted: 02.12.2020
THREE UNPUBLISHED BYZANTINE LEAD SEALS FROM WESTERN ASIA MINOR (WITH AN APPENDIX ON AN AMULET FROM IZMIR)
Ergtin Lafli
Dokuz Eylul Universitesi, Izmir, Turkey
Maurizio Buora
Societa Friulana di Archeologia odv, Udine, Italy
Abstract. This paper presents three formerly unpublished Byzantine lead seals and an amulet that were examined in the archaeological museum of Izmir (nos. 1, 3 and figs. 5a-b) and Akhisar (no. 2) in western Turkey. They date from the 7th to the 13th century AD. The seal of a Manuel apo hypaton (no. 1) reveals the relations between the court of Constantinople and the city of Smyrna in the 7th century AD. Another one of Ioannes hypatos spatharios (no. 2) comes from Akhisar (8th century AD). No. 3 is dated to the 11th and 12th centuries AD. A lead amulet at the appendix part (figs. 5a-b), which perhaps originates from the Early Byzantine period, bears the name of Saba6th.
Key words: Byzantine lead seals, amulet, apo hypaton, hypatos and imperial spatharios, Saba6th, sigillography, Byzantine period, Izmir, Akhisar, Western Asia Minor, Turkey.
Citation. Lafli E., Buora M. Three Unpublished Byzantine Lead Seals from Western Asia Minor (With an Appendix on an Amulet from Izmir). Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2020, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 160-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/ jvolsu4.2020.6.12
ТРИ НЕОПУБЛИКОВАННЫЕ ВИЗАНТИЙСКИЕ СВИНЦОВЫЕ ПЕЧАТИ
Аннотация. В статье представлены три ранее не опубликованные свинцовые печати и амулет, кото-^ рые были изучены в Археологическом музее Измира (№ 1, 3 и рис. 5а-Ь) и Акхисара (№ 2) в Западной Турции. Они датируются VII-XШ веками. Печать Мануила, апоипата, (№ 1) раскрывает отношения меж-2 ду константинопольским двором и Смирной в VII веке. Еще одна печать - Иоанна, ипата и императорс-^ кого спафария (№ 2), - происходит из Акхисара (УШ в.). Печать № 3 датируется Х1-Х11 веками. Свинцовый амулет в приложении (рис. 5а-Ь), который, вероятно, относится к ранневизантийскому времени, ¡3 носит на себе имя Саваоф. Э. Лафлы провел анализ и критику печатей, в то время как М. Буора разрабо-
УДК 94"04/14":929.651 ББК 63.3(0)4-9
Дата поступления статьи: 12.08.2020 Дата принятия статьи: 02.12.2020
Маурицио Буора
Фриульское археологическое общество, г. Удине, Италия
j тал каталог.
©
Ключевые слова: византийские свинцовые печати, амулет, апоипат, ипат и императорский спафарий, Саваоф, сфрагистика, византийский период, Измир, Акхисар, Западная Малая Азия, Турция.
Цитирование. Лафлы Э., Буора М. Три неопубликованные византийские свинцовые печати из Западной Малой Азии (с приложением, включающим амулет из Измира) // Вестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4, История. Регионоведение. Международные отношения. - 2020. - Т. 25, № 6. -С. 160-167. - (На англ. яз.). - DOI: https://doi.Org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2020.6.12
Introduction
The number of lead seals in the eastern world is estimated at about 80,000, most of which remain as unpublished [11, p. 150]. Our contribution is to present three of these unpublished ones in two Turkish museums (fig. 1). Only few seals of the archaeological museum of Izmir have already been published and the ones in the depot of courtial antiquities are not known in scholarly literature. Their dating varies mostly from the seventh to the 13th centuries A.D. Most of these seals do not have good conservation conditions. They include the names of dignitaries of the Byzantine Empire (apo eparkhon, patrikios and strategos etc.) and also of an empress. In the collection of the archaeological museum of Izmir there is a lead amulet of particular interest which was inserted in an appendix part and bears the name of Saba6th, one among the different names of the Hebrew god.
Catalogue1
No. 1
The lead seal of Manuel apo hypaton (figs. 2a-b).
Depository and provenance: Archaeological museum of Izmir, in the depot of courtial antiquities, accession no. 2016.861.4. It was given to the museum by the Second Civil Court of First Instance in Izmir in 2016 before of which it was belonging to a private collection in the surrounding of Izmir.
State of preservation: Damaged on border. Corrosion.
Measurements: Diameter 20 mm and field diameter 15 mm.
Transcription - Obverse: Wreath border. + M-
2 ANOY-HL
Reverse: Wreath border. APO
2 YIPAT-ON
Transliteration: + MavouxX arco uftdxrov.
Translation: Of Manouel(ou), one of the hypatoi.
Sigillographical comments: 'Arco "Uftdxrov corresponds to the rank class of the former consuls, consularis in Latin, later occasionally also exconsul or similar 2 It was also a name for certain senatorial provincial governors of provinciae inermes, as in Notitia Dignitatum well attested in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. But it also became more and more a title, especially in the seventh century A.D., from which our seal originates. In this specific case of the seal from Izmir, it is uncertain whether it is an office or a title.
Comparandum: There are a number of seals of apo hypaton in the Dumbarton Oaks and Fogg Collections, mostly dating to the seventh century A.D. [14, p. 110], but a Manuel with the title arco "Uftdxrov is so far unknown otherwise. In the Dumbarton Oaks Collection a very similar unpublished lead seal with the accession no. DO 58.106.1622 is housed3.
Dating: Seventh century A.D.
No. 2
The lead seal of Ioannes hypatos and imperial spatharios (fig. 3).
Depository: Museum of Akhisar, Byzantine Thyatira, in a display case in the hall of small finds.
State of preservation: Damaged on border. Corrosion.
Measurements: Diameter 22 mm and field diameter 16 mm.
Transcription - Obverse: Cruciform invocative monogram with inscription in the quarters; wreath border.
0£otok£ Po^Gei xro aro SouXro.
Reverse: Inscription in four lines, with cross above and below. + IO-
2 ANNH Vl~l -ATO C BAC-
4 ILIKO Cn -A0APIO
+ 'Iffldww s (kai) |3aaiAikto
arcaGapiro
Translation: Mother of God, help your servant John, hypatos and imperial spatharios.
Sigillographical remarks: "YrcaTog, consul, was a senatorial dignity and arcaGdpiog was an imperial title, as there were also active spatharioi at the imperial court in Constantinople 4 Throughout the sixth to the ninth centuries A.D. there is an ample sigillographical evidence of functionaries bearing this the title, usually attached to mid-level administrative and fiscal posts, but the title hypatos lost its importance over time. Both in imperial and ecclesiastical administration many dignitaries named with the common name John (properly Ioannes) are known by the Byzantine world.
Comparandum: A very similar lead seal with the accession no. DO 47.2.873 in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection in Washington, DC and a further one in the private collection ofYavuz Tati§ in Izmir [5, no. 5.46] are housed (cf. the latter publication also for the reference of a similar seal in the corpus of Zacos - Veglery, i.e. [16]).
Dating: It is noteworthy that in the seventh century A.D. we often find the title of hypatos and spatharios combined [4, p. 23]5. The type of invocation of the obverse and the titling, however, correspond to the examples of the eighth-ninth century A.D.
No. 3
The lead seal of Romanos IV, Eudokia, Michael VII, Constantios and Andronikos (figs. 4a-b).
Depository and provenance: Archaeological museum of Izmir, in the depot of courtial antiquities, accession no. 2017.33.123.1. It was given to the museum by the 33. Civil Court of First Instance in Izmir in 2018 before of which it was belonging to a private collection in Izmir.
State of preservation: Corrosion. Otherwise well preserved.
Measurements: Diameter 30 mm and field diameter 28 mm.
Transcription - Obverse: Three full-length figures: in the center, Christ bearded wearing a tunic and himation and standing on a dais. He has a nimbus cruciger. With uplifted arms he places a cross-topped crown on the bearded head of the emperor Romanos on the left and a crown with three triangular projections on the head of Eudokia on the right. Romanos wears a loros and holds his right hand before his chest and a globus cruciger in his left hand. Eudokia wears a loros and holds her left hand before her chest and a globus cruciger in her right hand. At left and right of Christ's head, sigla: IC-XC: 'I(^ao™)g X(piaTo)g. Circular inscription. Border of dots. POMAN EVAOKIA Tropav(og) (Kai) Eu6oKia. Reverse: Three full-length figures, all of whom stand on daises. In center, Michael VII, taller than his brothers, standing, wearing a crown with a cross and a loros, and holding a labarum in his right hand and an akakia in his left. He is flanked by the shorter, beardless figures of Constantios on the left and Andronikos on the right. Each wears a crown with a cross and a loros. Constantios holds a globus surmounted by a trefoil ornament in his right hand and an akakia in his left. Andronikos holds an akakia in his right hand and a globus surmounted by a trefoil ornament in his left. Circular inscription. Border of dots.
Tropavog Kai EuSoKia. 2 Krov(aTavTiog). M(i)x(a^X).
[Av6(poviKog).] Translations: Romanos and Eudokia. Constantios. Michael. Andronikos. Sigillographical remarks: On coins, Michael VII and his brothers appear on the obverse, convex side, while Christ, Romanos, and Eudokia are portrayed on the reverse, concave side. On the seals, lacking any indicator of which side is which, it is conventional to reverse the order, placing the figure of Christ on the obverse. Perhaps forgery (?).
The seals and coins of Romanos's reign are the most cluttered examples from the whole Byzantine period. During Romanos's reign, Constantine's third son, Andronikos, was associated in rule, and on his seals and coins the nominal senior emperor appears vastly outnumbered by the family of Constantine X. Romanos and Eudokia appear either side of Christ, who blesses them. On the reverse the three sons of Constantine X are shown
in their imperial regalia. Although interpretation of the seals follows the convention of placing the senior emperor on the obverse, the sides are reversed when considering the coins, the concavity of which allows us to determine which was the top die.
Comparanda: [9, no. 82.3; 1, p. 72-75, nos. 128-136; 16, no. 93a].
Dating: The era of Romanos IV Diogenes, i.e. A.D. 1068-1071.
Appendix
A lead amulet for Sabasth from Izmir (figs. 5a-b).
Depository and provenance: Archaeological museum of Izmir, in the depot of courtial antiquities, accession no. 2016.861.3. It was given to the museum by the Second Civil Court of First Instance in Izmir in 2016 before of which it was belonging to a private collection in the surrounding of Izmir.
State of preservation: Damaged on border. Corrosion.
Measurements: Max. diameter 13 mm.
Description: The lead object was an amulet and there was a loop for hanging on neck or somewhere else. Such amulets were worn by Christians of different beliefs, not necessarily gnostics.
Transcription: On the obverse side CABAfi(0) (EaParoG; Sabaeth / zebaot) in the centre and on the reverse side IAQ (Ta§) in the lower part.
Sigillographical comments: This amulet belongs to the circle 'Ia§, EaParoG (in Hebrew ms^i, plural of jus), which is one of the archontic powers (CG II, I ApocJohn 11.30; 12.20). These names are multitudinously attested and invoked in magical literature, especially on amulets [8, p. 105106]. Sabasth was an epithet of Jewish god in his role as protector of the Israelite army, usually translated (alongside YHWH or Elohim) as "the lord of hosts" [6, p. 186]. It also means hosts or armies. In the gnosticism it is the name of one of the seven chief archons in the Ophite cosmogony.
Comparanda: This category of small amulets is scarcely studied. Campbell Bonner published a book (1951) and two additional articles (1951 and 1954) on magical amulets, with particular reference to the British Museum collections [2; 3]. Twenty-five years ago, Jeffrey Spier wrote a paper on the amulets recognizing that a large number of pendant-amulets are
attributable to the Early Byzantine period. Sometimes the names 'Ia§ EaParoG are associated with the image of the oupoPopog, a symbolic depiction of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail [3, p. 150]. The mention of 'Ia§, EaParoG appears first time on a face of a bronze pendant-amulet which is now housed in the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem [12, p. 46, fig. 1]. The invocation of divine and angelic names such as Iao, Sabasth, Adonai or archangels was already an ancient tradition in paganic magic, ultimately derived from a former Jewish practice [13, p. 49].
Dating: Possibly Early Byzantine period.
Conclusion
These three seals presented above range from the seventh to the 13 th century A.D. and provide even just a bit evidence on the Byzantine dignitaries in Asia Minor. The lead amulet at the appendix part (figs. 5a-b), which originates perhaps from the Early Byzantine period, bears the name of Sabasth that remains as a unique evidence for western Asia Minor.
ENDNOTES
1 Nos. 1, 3 and figs. 5a-b from the Archaeological Museum of Izmir were studied with an authorization granted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Directorate of the Monuments and Museums on April 13, 2010 and enumerated as B.16.0.KVM.0.13.04.00-155.01.(TA10.B81)-77614. The necessary documentation was assembled between June 2010 and May 2017. We would like to thank to Mrs Zuhal KuQukguney and Ms Necla Okan (both from the Archaeological Museum of Izmir) for their assistance during the study of these objects.
No. 2 from the Museum of Akhisar was studied with an authorization granted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Directorate of the Monuments and Museums on June 4, 2007 and enumerated as B.16.0.KVM.200.11.02.02.14.01.222.11.(TA07.40/A)-116546. The necessary documentation was assembled between August 2007 and May 2016.
2 On ano inawv cf: [7, p. 395].
3 We would like to thank to Professor Werner Seibt (Vienna) who kindly provided this information.
4 Cf. for these titles: [10, p. 297-298].
5 Furthermore, in the auction made by Mbnz Zentrum, sale no. 96 (10-12 September 1998) a lead seal of an Ioannes hypatos and protospatharios was sold, cf. [15, p. 184, no. 1340].
ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ
Fig. 1. Places in Asia Minor and elsewhere referred to in the text (by S. Pataci, 2018)
Figs. 2a-b. The lead seal of Manuel apo hypaton. Archaeological museum of Izmir, accession no. 2016.861.4
Fig. 3. The lead seal of Ioannes hypatos and imperial spatharios. Museum of Akhisar
■ I I I ■ ■ ......- 1 ---^ - -.....! -
Figs. 4a-b. The lead seal of Romanos IV, Eudokia, Michael VII, Constantios, and Andronikos. Archaeological museum of Izmir, accession no. 2017.33.123.1
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Information About the Authors
ErgOn Lafli, Doctor, Professor, Edebiyat Fakultesi, Arkeoloji Bolumu, Dokuz Eylul Universitesi, Oda No A-418, Tinaztepe/Kaynaklar Yerle§kesi, Buca, TR-35160 Izmir, Turkey, elafli@yahoo.ca, http://deu.academia.edu/ErgunLAFLI, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4722-5018
Maurizio Buora, Doctor, Societa Friulana di Archeologia odv, Via Micesio 2, Torre di Porta Villalta, I-33100 Udine, Italy, mbuora@libero.it, https://independent.academia.edu/MBuora, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5746-8312
Информация об авторах
Dr Эргюн Лафлы, профессор классической археологии, факультет литературы, кафедра археологии, Университет Докуз Эйлюль, Oda No A-418, Tinaztepe/Kaynaklar Yerle§kesi, Buca, TR-35160 г. Измир, Турция, elafli@yahoo.ca, http://deu.academia.edu/ErgunLAFLI, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4722-5018 Dr Маурицио Буора, Фриульское археологическое общество, Via Micesio 2, Torre di Porta Villalta, I-33100 г. Удине, Италия, mbuora@libero.it, https://independent.academia.edu/MBuora, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5746-8312
