Zeus Numismatics
Auction 13 31 Oct 2020
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Byzantine lead seal of Barasbakourios, komes
of the God-guarded imperial opsikion
(early 8th cent.)
Obverse: Invocative cruciform monogram, inscribed in the corners, resolved as, ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ ΒΟΗΘΕΙ ΤΩ ΔΟΥΛΩ CΟΥ ΒΑΡΑCΒΑΚΟΥΡΙΩ (Mother of God, help your servant Barasbakourios), wreath border.
Reverse: Inscription in 6 lines, partly present but possible to be fully restituted, thanks to parallel pieces, ΠΡΩΤΟΠΑΤ/ΡΙΚSΚΟΜ/[ΙΤ,]ΤΟΥΘΕΟ/[ΦΥ]ΛΑΚΤΟΥΒ/[ΑCΙ]ΛΙΚΟΥΟ/ΨΙΚΙΟΥ = Πρωτοπατρικίῳ καὶ κόμιτι τοῦ θεοφυλάκτου βασιλικοῦ ὀψικίου (komes of the God-guarded imperial opsikion), wreath border.
Note: a. Barasbakourios (Greek: Βαρισβακούριος; died 711) was a Byzantine dignitary in the service of Emperor Justinian II (r. 685–695, 705–711), whose downfall occasioned his own death at the hands of the agents of Emperor Philippicus (reign 711–713). Barasbakourios was a resident of Chersonesus-and probably of Iberian descent, as suggested by his name-when he befriended the exiled emperor Justinian II around 695. Around 704, Barasbakourios accompanied Justinian to the Bulgars on a mission to rally support for his cause. In the closing years of Justinian's second reign (705–711), Barasbakourios was protopatrikios and komes of the Opsikion, a theme in northwestern Asia Minor and Justinian's major power-base. When a rebel army under Philippicus took Constantinople and overthrew Justinian in 711, Barasbakourios fled, but was apprehended by Mauros and John, Philippicus's lieutenants, and put to death together with Justinian's other loyalists. Barasbakourios's name appears on two seals, both dateable to the 8th century, as patrikios and komes of the "god-guarded imperial Opsikion", and-perhaps later-as patrikios, komes of the Opsikion and strategos of an unidentifiable theme. So this is a third seal belonging to the same person.
b. Opsikion was one of the earliest themes of Byzantium; its name from the term obsequium (retinue), often called "imperial obsequium guarded by God." Its territory included many provinces and initially encompassed all northwestern Asia Minor; by the mid-eighth century it was subdivided, and the new themes of the Boukellarioi and of the Optimatoi appeared. All three names show that the origins of this theme are to be sought in the regiments of the imperial guard, and according to some scholars, to the milites praesentales of the fifth century. The commander of Opsikion traditionally bore the titles of komes, probably because initially he was identical to the comes domesticorum. He is first attested in 626 (perhaps already in 615), and, because of his proximity to Constantinople (his residence was in Nicaea), he played an important role in imperial politics. As this happened regularly with all units of the imperial guard, the tagmata (Listes, 329), the second in command of the Opsikion was called for quite some time a topoteretes (cf. Zacos-Veglery, no. 1762). The province was organized as all other themes (with tourmarchai, anagrapheis, judges, protonotarioi, chartoularioi, strateutai [Laurent, Orghidan, no. 218], etc.), and, already in the ninth century, the commander was also called a strategos (see Listes, 264, footnote 23; Zacos, Seals II, no. 850; Seyrig, no. 191). The littoral of the Opsikion was also part of the theme of Aigaion Pelagos.
Bibliography: Pertusi, in De Them., 127-30; Winkelmann, Ämsterstruktur, 72-76, 119-20; ODB III, 1528-29; Haldon, Praetorians, passim, esp. 164 ff; T. Lounghis, "A Deo conservandum imperiale Obsequium," ByzSl 52 (1991) 54-60; Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, pp. 1528–1529.
Condition: Very Fine
Weight: 24.50 gr
Diameter: 28 mm
of the God-guarded imperial opsikion
(early 8th cent.)
Obverse: Invocative cruciform monogram, inscribed in the corners, resolved as, ΘΕΟΤΟΚΕ ΒΟΗΘΕΙ ΤΩ ΔΟΥΛΩ CΟΥ ΒΑΡΑCΒΑΚΟΥΡΙΩ (Mother of God, help your servant Barasbakourios), wreath border.
Reverse: Inscription in 6 lines, partly present but possible to be fully restituted, thanks to parallel pieces, ΠΡΩΤΟΠΑΤ/ΡΙΚSΚΟΜ/[ΙΤ,]ΤΟΥΘΕΟ/[ΦΥ]ΛΑΚΤΟΥΒ/[ΑCΙ]ΛΙΚΟΥΟ/ΨΙΚΙΟΥ = Πρωτοπατρικίῳ καὶ κόμιτι τοῦ θεοφυλάκτου βασιλικοῦ ὀψικίου (komes of the God-guarded imperial opsikion), wreath border.
Note: a. Barasbakourios (Greek: Βαρισβακούριος; died 711) was a Byzantine dignitary in the service of Emperor Justinian II (r. 685–695, 705–711), whose downfall occasioned his own death at the hands of the agents of Emperor Philippicus (reign 711–713). Barasbakourios was a resident of Chersonesus-and probably of Iberian descent, as suggested by his name-when he befriended the exiled emperor Justinian II around 695. Around 704, Barasbakourios accompanied Justinian to the Bulgars on a mission to rally support for his cause. In the closing years of Justinian's second reign (705–711), Barasbakourios was protopatrikios and komes of the Opsikion, a theme in northwestern Asia Minor and Justinian's major power-base. When a rebel army under Philippicus took Constantinople and overthrew Justinian in 711, Barasbakourios fled, but was apprehended by Mauros and John, Philippicus's lieutenants, and put to death together with Justinian's other loyalists. Barasbakourios's name appears on two seals, both dateable to the 8th century, as patrikios and komes of the "god-guarded imperial Opsikion", and-perhaps later-as patrikios, komes of the Opsikion and strategos of an unidentifiable theme. So this is a third seal belonging to the same person.
b. Opsikion was one of the earliest themes of Byzantium; its name from the term obsequium (retinue), often called "imperial obsequium guarded by God." Its territory included many provinces and initially encompassed all northwestern Asia Minor; by the mid-eighth century it was subdivided, and the new themes of the Boukellarioi and of the Optimatoi appeared. All three names show that the origins of this theme are to be sought in the regiments of the imperial guard, and according to some scholars, to the milites praesentales of the fifth century. The commander of Opsikion traditionally bore the titles of komes, probably because initially he was identical to the comes domesticorum. He is first attested in 626 (perhaps already in 615), and, because of his proximity to Constantinople (his residence was in Nicaea), he played an important role in imperial politics. As this happened regularly with all units of the imperial guard, the tagmata (Listes, 329), the second in command of the Opsikion was called for quite some time a topoteretes (cf. Zacos-Veglery, no. 1762). The province was organized as all other themes (with tourmarchai, anagrapheis, judges, protonotarioi, chartoularioi, strateutai [Laurent, Orghidan, no. 218], etc.), and, already in the ninth century, the commander was also called a strategos (see Listes, 264, footnote 23; Zacos, Seals II, no. 850; Seyrig, no. 191). The littoral of the Opsikion was also part of the theme of Aigaion Pelagos.
Bibliography: Pertusi, in De Them., 127-30; Winkelmann, Ämsterstruktur, 72-76, 119-20; ODB III, 1528-29; Haldon, Praetorians, passim, esp. 164 ff; T. Lounghis, "A Deo conservandum imperiale Obsequium," ByzSl 52 (1991) 54-60; Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, pp. 1528–1529.
Condition: Very Fine
Weight: 24.50 gr
Diameter: 28 mm