Nomos AG
obolos 26 18 Dec 2022
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BYZANTINE SEALS, Provincial Administration. Commerciarii. Constantine imperial strator and kommerkiarios of the West, circa 10th century. Seal or Bulla (Lead, 25 mm, 11.62 g, 12 h), possibly Corinth, in Hellas. +KE BOHΘH TΩ CΩ ΔOYΛO "Lord please aid your servant" Diademed head of an athlete. Rev. +/+KΩΝC/ΤΑΝΤ' B'CT/PATΩP' S K/OYMERKIA' / TIC ΔY' "Constantine imperial strator and kommerkiarios of the West" in six lines within round dotted border. DO 1, 1.23. Extremely rare and with totally unusual iconography . Very fine.
This is one of the most exciting seal we ever handled, as is totally atypical to any byzantine seal we have seen. The title of Constantine as "kommerkiarios of the West" is an indication of the area where he was in charge of collecting the kommerkion, which is not other than proper Southern Greece (Hellas), possibly Thessaly to Peloponnese. Kommerkiarii seals from this area are extremely rare. The iconography of the obverse is so atypical to the contemporary iconography on seals that it is almost pagan! The prototype for this seal must have been either an ancient Greek statue visible in the 10th century or a provincial coin of Claudius! This can only have happened in an area with very strong historical memory like Athens or Corinth.
This is one of the most exciting seal we ever handled, as is totally atypical to any byzantine seal we have seen. The title of Constantine as "kommerkiarios of the West" is an indication of the area where he was in charge of collecting the kommerkion, which is not other than proper Southern Greece (Hellas), possibly Thessaly to Peloponnese. Kommerkiarii seals from this area are extremely rare. The iconography of the obverse is so atypical to the contemporary iconography on seals that it is almost pagan! The prototype for this seal must have been either an ancient Greek statue visible in the 10th century or a provincial coin of Claudius! This can only have happened in an area with very strong historical memory like Athens or Corinth.