Two Byzantine Seals from the Excavation of the Medieval Fortress “Malkoto kale” (Yambol Region, Bulgaria)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2084-140X.12.08

Keywords:

sigillography, history of the Byzantine Empire, Voden, Yambol, Bulgaria, Byzantine lead seals, Michael Tzitas, protokouropalates, doux, metropolitan of Athens, Nicetas

Abstract

The present article aims to put into scholarly circulation two new unpublished Byzantine lead seals from the medieval fortress in the area of the village of Voden (municipality of Bolyarovo, Yambol region, Bulgaria). They were handed to the Regional Historical Museum in the town of Yambol as a result of the regular archaeological excavations of the site near the village of Voden, conducted in the period 2012–2019. The first seal dates from the last quarter of the 11th century and has a bust of the Holy Virgin with a halo and a round medallion with the image of the Infant Jesus Christ who blesses with both hands. From the legend on the reverse, it is clear that the bulla belonged to a Byzantine dignitary named Michael Tzitas, who advertises himself with the title of (proto)kouropalates and the position of doux. The second seal dates from the end of the 11th – the beginning of the 12th century and has an interesting and relatively rare iconographic plot depicting three military saints on the obverse, and an invocation to them on the reverse. The seal belongs to a clergyman – a metropolitan bishop of Athens, named Nicetas (Νικήτας).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anna Comnena, The Alexiad, ed. et trans. E. A. S. Dawes, Cambridge 2000.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Arheologičeski proučvanija na kăsnoantična i srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale”, s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, oblast Jambol, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2009 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2009 g.” (Sofija 2010), p. 425–427.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Arheologičeski proučvanija na kăsnoantična i srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale”, s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, oblast Jambol, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2012 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2012 g.” (Sofija 2013), p. 457–459.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Avarijni arheologičeski proučvanija na kăsnoantičnata krepost “Malkoto kale” kraj s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, “Вести на Ямболския музей” / “Vesti na jambolskija muzej” 5, 2008, p. 2–4.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., The Archaeological Field School in Malkoto kale near the Village of Voden, Bulgaria [in:] Proceeding of 22nd Annual Meeting EAA, Vilnius 2016, p. 387.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Rusev Y., Arheologičeski proučvanija na srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale”, s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, oblast Jambol, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2016 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2016 g.” (Sofija 2017), p. 574–578.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Rusev Y., Arheologičeski proučvanija na srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale”, s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, oblast Jambol, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2018 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2018 g.” (Sofija 2019), p. 524–526.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Rusev Y., Redovni arheologičeski proučvanija na srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale” pri s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2019 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2019 g.” (Sofija 2020), p. 1196–1197.
Google Scholar

Bakardzhiev S., Valchev T., Arheologičeski proučvanija na srednovekovna krepost “Malkoto kale”, s. Voden, obština Boljarovo, oblast Jambol, “Археологически открития и разкопки през 2014 г.” / “Arheologičeski otkritija i razkopki prez 2014 g.” (Sofija 2015), p. 703–706.
Google Scholar

Bartusis M. C., Land and Privilege in Byzantium. The Institution of Pronoia, Cambridge 2013, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511841903
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511841903

Cheynet J.-C., L’apport de la sigillographie aux études byzantines, “Византийский временник” / “Vizantiyskiy Vremennik” 62 (87), 2003, p. 47–58.
Google Scholar

Cheynet J.-C., L’usage des sceaux à Byzance, “Res Orientales” 10, 1997, p. 23–40.
Google Scholar

Cheynet J.-C., Théodoridis D., Sceaux byzantins de la collection Théodoridis. Les sceaux patronymiques, Paris 2010.
Google Scholar

Darrouzès J., Obit de deux métropolites d’Athènes, Léon Xéros et Georges Bourtzès, d’après les inscriptions du Parthenon, “Revue des études byzantines” 20, 1962, p. 190–196, https://doi.org/10.3406/rebyz.1962.1287
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/rebyz.1962.1287

Gautier P., Le synode des Blachernes (fin 1094). Etude prosopographique, “Revue des études byzantines” 29, 1971, p. 213–284, https://doi.org/10.3406/rebyz.1971.1445
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/rebyz.1971.1445

Kanev N., Novi sfragistični nahodki ot Pomorie, “Епохи” / “Epohi” 23.1, 2015 (2017), p. 34–45.
Google Scholar

Kanev N., Sfragistični nahodki ot srednovekovnata krepost kraj s. Voden, Jambolska oblast, [in:] Jubileen sbornik v čest na 70-godishninata na prof. Boris Borisov (in press).
Google Scholar

Kanev N., Alexandrov O., Molivdovul na protokuropalata Pakurian Aršakid, otkrit v Pomorie, “Известия на Историческия музей – Поморие” / “Izvestija na Istoričeskija muzej – Pomorie” 2, 2017, p. 158–162.
Google Scholar

Laurent V., La liste épiscopale de la métropole d’Athènes d’après le Synodicon d’une de ses églises suffragantes, Bucharest 1948 [= Archives de l’Orient chrétien, 1].
Google Scholar

Laurent V., Le corpus des sceaux de l’Empire byzantin, vol. V, L’Église, Paris 1963.
Google Scholar

Likhachev N. P., Istoričeskoe značenie italo-grečeskoj ikonopisi, izobraženija Bogomateri v proizvedenijah italo-grecheskih ikonopistsev i ih vlijanie na kompozicii nekotoryh proslavlennyh russkih ikon, Sankt Peterburg 1911.
Google Scholar

Mihajlovski R., A Collection of Medieval Seals from the Fortress Kale in Skopje excavated between 2007 and 2012, “Byzantion” 86, 2016, p. 261–316.
Google Scholar

Ostrogorski G., Die pronoia unter den Komnenen, “Зборник радова Византолошког института” / “Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta” 12, 1970, p. 41–54.
Google Scholar

Ostrogorski G., Pronija: prilog istorii feudalizma u Vizantiji i u juznoslovenskim zeljama, Beograd 1951.
Google Scholar

Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, ed. A. Kazhdan et al., New York–Oxford 1991.
Google Scholar

Prosopography of the Byzantine World, 2016, ed. M. Jeffreys et al. King’s College London, 2017, available at http://pbw2016.kdl.kcl.ac.uk [20 VII 2011].
Google Scholar

Schlumberger G., Sigillographie de l’empire byzantin, Paris 1884.
Google Scholar

Speck P., Sode C., Byzantinische Bleisiegel in Berlin II, Bonn 1987.
Google Scholar

Stavrakos C., Die byzantinischen Bleisiegel mit Familiennamen aus der Sammlung des numismatischen Museums Athen, Wiesbaden 2000.
Google Scholar

Wassiliou-Seibt A.-K., Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel mit metrischen Legenden, vol. II, Wien 2016 [= Wiener byzantinistische Studien, 28.2], https://doi.org/10.1553/0x0033df3f
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1553/0x0033df3f

Zhekova Zh., Pechati na edin personazh ot “Aleksiadata”, “Нумизматика, сфрагистика и епиграфика” / “Numizmatika, sfragistika i epigrafika” 17, 2021, p. 123–132.
Google Scholar

Downloads

Published

2022-10-12

How to Cite

Kanev, N. (2022). Two Byzantine Seals from the Excavation of the Medieval Fortress “Malkoto kale” (Yambol Region, Bulgaria). Studia Ceranea, 12, 507–522. https://doi.org/10.18778/2084-140X.12.08

Issue

Section

Articles