Looking for some
help trying to decipher this seal. Here's what I feel fairly certain of:
+ςΤΡΑ
ΤΗΛΑΤΗ
SΑΝΘVΠ
ΑΤΩ+
Stratelates and
AnthypatosΘΕΟ
ΤΟΚ(Ε?)ΒΟ
ΗΘ_ _ _ Δ
ΩΡΩ
Theotokos
help... The letters immediately after theta are a
bit hard for me. I don't have much experience, but from what I have seen, the letter immediately after theta would typically be an Eta. I can't see any connection though, so it looks like two iotas. Mostly that would make sense, since the other letters look like ς and another iota. So, I come up with:
ΗΘΙΙςΙΔ
Isidoros.
Is this what others see? Does "
help" sometimes appear as ΒΟΗΘΙ instead of ΒΟΗΘΗ or would this be a pretty unlikely way of
writing it?
Also, would it be possible to interpret what time period this seal would be from from the
style? It's 9.6 gr and 22 mm. From what I have been reading, Stratelates and
Anthypatos could be real offices with duties or just court dignities, depending on the time period, so it would be interesting to know what duties this person would have
had, if any.
Thank you for any
help you can provide.