Ares Numismatics
Web Auction 3 20 Oct 2019
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Lead seal of Philaretos Ikanatos domestikos (11th cent.).
Obverse: Saint George, nimbate, standing facing (his head missing as of off-center sealing), holding a spear in his right hand, and resting his left hand on a shield, columnar inscription partly surviving: [O] A(ΓIOC)-ΓΕ(ΩΡΓΙΟC) = Ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος (Saint George), all within dotted border.
Reverse: Inscription in 7 (?) lines (the first and second (?) trimmed): .../.. ΤΩ [ΦΙ]/[Λ]ΑΡΕΤΩ Ν Ι/ΚΑΝΑΤΟ Λ(ΟΓΕ)/ΠΑΡΑCΧΕ/[Τ]Ω ΔΟΜΕC/[Τ]ΙΚΩ = [Ἔλεος?] τῷ Φιλαρέτῳ Ἰκανάτῳ Λόγε πάρασχε τῷ δομεστίκῳ (Lord, give your mercy to Philaretos Ikanatos the domestikos).
Comments: It appears that since the beginning of the 7th century, the forces of the two magistri militum praesentales incorporated in a united central conflict army under imperial command called Opsikion (from lat. obsequium = escort). Opsikion, which at first guarded both Thrace and Bithynia, was later established only in Bithynia, where the homonymous theme was formed. In the end of the same century, according to the sources, two new units appear in Constantinople, "noumera" and "tiheote", assigned to guard the gates and the walls of the Great Palace, which was fortified by emperor Justinian II (685-695, 705-711). The most important change in the status quo of Constantinople's army forces, a change that characterized the entire Middle Byzantine period, took place around the middle of the 8th century on Constantine V's (741-775) initiative. Having just successfully suppressed the rebellion of Artabasdos, comes of Opsikion, the emperor took measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. First he weakened the theme of Opsikion and then he went on with the reorganization of the "scholae" and the "excubites" (as they were then called). Constantine recruited new soldiers for the imperial guard, seeing that they were faithful to him and to his iconoclastic policy. The new effective units that resulted from this reorganization were named "tagmata" and their duties were extended: they no longer were exclusively an imperial guard, not even guard of Constantinople, as from that time they would serve as a central conflict army, equivalent to the old Opsikion, and they would participate in the emperor's campaigns. The oldest tagmata were the scholae and the excubitores, each with its own domestikos in command. Gradually, the term "scholarioi" came to designate the soldiers of the tagmata in general, while the domestikos ton scholon was second in command under the general of Anatolikon and later (9th-10th c.) was charged with the command of campaigns in the emperor's absence. As tagmata had by then merely military duties, the so-called "hetairiae" were formed as the emperor's bodyguard. Eirene Athenaia (780-8-2) came across the reaction of scholarioi when she attempted to repeal the iconoclastic policies of her predecessors. For this reason, she discharged the old soldiers of tagmata and replaced them with new ones. In the same time, she introduced a third tagma, called "Arithmos" or "Vigla", by men of the thematic army that were faithful to her. A little later, Nikephoros I (802-811) established the tagma of "ikanatoi". These four "tagmata" would be the core of Constantinople's guard until the 11th century. It is until the same period that the tagma of Athanatoi, founded by John I Tzimiskes (969-976) is being mentioned.
Condition: Somewhat trimmed on obverse and partly off-centered upwards, otherwise about VF.
Weight:
Diameter:
Obverse: Saint George, nimbate, standing facing (his head missing as of off-center sealing), holding a spear in his right hand, and resting his left hand on a shield, columnar inscription partly surviving: [O] A(ΓIOC)-ΓΕ(ΩΡΓΙΟC) = Ὁ ἅγιος Γεώργιος (Saint George), all within dotted border.
Reverse: Inscription in 7 (?) lines (the first and second (?) trimmed): .../.. ΤΩ [ΦΙ]/[Λ]ΑΡΕΤΩ Ν Ι/ΚΑΝΑΤΟ Λ(ΟΓΕ)/ΠΑΡΑCΧΕ/[Τ]Ω ΔΟΜΕC/[Τ]ΙΚΩ = [Ἔλεος?] τῷ Φιλαρέτῳ Ἰκανάτῳ Λόγε πάρασχε τῷ δομεστίκῳ (Lord, give your mercy to Philaretos Ikanatos the domestikos).
Comments: It appears that since the beginning of the 7th century, the forces of the two magistri militum praesentales incorporated in a united central conflict army under imperial command called Opsikion (from lat. obsequium = escort). Opsikion, which at first guarded both Thrace and Bithynia, was later established only in Bithynia, where the homonymous theme was formed. In the end of the same century, according to the sources, two new units appear in Constantinople, "noumera" and "tiheote", assigned to guard the gates and the walls of the Great Palace, which was fortified by emperor Justinian II (685-695, 705-711). The most important change in the status quo of Constantinople's army forces, a change that characterized the entire Middle Byzantine period, took place around the middle of the 8th century on Constantine V's (741-775) initiative. Having just successfully suppressed the rebellion of Artabasdos, comes of Opsikion, the emperor took measures to avoid similar incidents in the future. First he weakened the theme of Opsikion and then he went on with the reorganization of the "scholae" and the "excubites" (as they were then called). Constantine recruited new soldiers for the imperial guard, seeing that they were faithful to him and to his iconoclastic policy. The new effective units that resulted from this reorganization were named "tagmata" and their duties were extended: they no longer were exclusively an imperial guard, not even guard of Constantinople, as from that time they would serve as a central conflict army, equivalent to the old Opsikion, and they would participate in the emperor's campaigns. The oldest tagmata were the scholae and the excubitores, each with its own domestikos in command. Gradually, the term "scholarioi" came to designate the soldiers of the tagmata in general, while the domestikos ton scholon was second in command under the general of Anatolikon and later (9th-10th c.) was charged with the command of campaigns in the emperor's absence. As tagmata had by then merely military duties, the so-called "hetairiae" were formed as the emperor's bodyguard. Eirene Athenaia (780-8-2) came across the reaction of scholarioi when she attempted to repeal the iconoclastic policies of her predecessors. For this reason, she discharged the old soldiers of tagmata and replaced them with new ones. In the same time, she introduced a third tagma, called "Arithmos" or "Vigla", by men of the thematic army that were faithful to her. A little later, Nikephoros I (802-811) established the tagma of "ikanatoi". These four "tagmata" would be the core of Constantinople's guard until the 11th century. It is until the same period that the tagma of Athanatoi, founded by John I Tzimiskes (969-976) is being mentioned.
Condition: Somewhat trimmed on obverse and partly off-centered upwards, otherwise about VF.
Weight:
Diameter: