This catalogue of Byzantine lead seals in the Museum of Art and History in Geneva constitutes a major contribution to the fields of Byzantine sigillography, administrative history and social history. It is a masterpiece of a work, with excellent quality photos and a useful, detailed and accurate commentary. It will serve as a point of reference for all future publications of Byzantine seals.
The catalogue covers 463 pieces; lead seals which formed part of the old collection of George Zacos, the most important collector of Byzantine lead seals. The remainder of the G. Zacos collection, around 7000 pieces, was donated to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in 1998, with the exception of 700 pieces of fine quality, intended to be offered for sale in six auctions at Spink's, London, in 1995–1996. In the event, only three of these auctions took place (330 pieces appeared) and the remaining pieces, unsold or never offered for sale, were donated in 2003 by the wife of G. Zacos, Janet, to the Museum of Art and History in Geneva. Many of the seals presented in the catalogue under discussion had originally figured in the two catalogues of G. Zacos’ collection or in the Spink's auction catalogues, but without a detailed commentary to place them in context. However, 207 of the seals in the present volume have never appeared before. Among them are some unique pieces such as the pentasoldion of Michael IX (1042-1055), the only golden bulla from this emperor (no. 8); the seal of Michael Pithokastrites (unknown until now) with the unique office designation of archon of the Pantheon (no. 24); the seal of the mystographos Theodoros Kodros (no. 63); the seal of the praetor Theodoros Kamateros, depicting him (extremely rare for someone not an emperor) supplicating Theotokos Hagiosoritissa (no. 74); the seal of the stratopedarches Cheres (i.e. Henri: in Greek sources ἙΡΡΗΣ) (no. 102); the seal of Gregorios Tzotzikios, of Georgian origin, as strategos of Mantzikert (no. 136); the earliest reference to the bishopric of Belestino in Thessaly in the 12th century (no. 289); the seal of Manuel Kostomyres, with the rare (in non-imperial seals) depiction of Christ (no. 347); the seal of Zosimas Rhizaios (from Rhizaion-Rize), with the rare depiction of Saint Horentius on horseback (no. 380), etc. Many of the seals shed light on their previously unattested holders and are testimony to unknown personalities or family names or new additional career stages of already known officials.
The editors have grouped the lead seals in 11 comprehensive thematic categories: 1) imperial seals (24 specimens), 2) seals of officials of the central administration divided into two subcategories, the civil and the military (85 specimens), 3) seals of officials of the provincial administration (60 specimens), 4) seals of court dignitaries (which only mention the person's rank) (83 specimens), 5) ecclesiastical seals divided into two sub-categories, those of Constantinopolitan officials and those of provincial ones (84 specimens), 6) seals of persons which mention their surname (but no office or title) (82 specimens), 7) seals of persons which mention only their first name (but no office or title) (13 specimens), 8) seals of persons who chose to remain anonymous (5 specimens), 9) lead tessera (14 specimens), 10) seals from the Latin East (6 specimens), and 11) seals from the Latin West (7 specimens).
The 463 pieces occupy 419 separate entries in the catalogue – the discrepancy is due to double, triple etc. specimens. Each entry contains a photo (1,5:1) and information about the specimen (measurements, description, inscription, parallel specimens, previous editions) and a detailed commentary with – wherever applicable: a) justification of the reading, b) observations on the iconography, c) observations on the owner of the seal and his career, d) observations on the family of the owner, e) information about the office of the owner or f) other historical evidence derived from the seal. This commentary serves as a guide to anyone who may be unfamiliar with the nature of every Byzantine office or the history of specific families. On rare occasions, this commentary structure is not observed (e.g. we never learn anything about the office of eidikos in no. 36). The few oversights encountered do not affect the overall quality of this monumental work.
Some specific comments:
no. 33: The editors do not cite any bibliography or relevant source material for their information on the office of ephoros.
no. 60: The office megas logothetes (or rather this new designation of the existing office of the logothetes of the sekreta) appears already in the late twelfth century.Footnote 1 The simple designation of someone as ‘logothetes’ probably means the office of the logothetes of the dromos, as testifed by the cases of Stephanos Meles, Demetrios Tornikes and others.Footnote 2
no. 68: According to the editors' commentary, the correct dating of the seal should be the second half of the 11th century.
no. 127: The surname of the owner is Tzanzes, not Tzantzes.
no. 155: According to the epigraphy, this seal does not date from the 10th century.
no. 189: This inscription, rather than presenting an incorrect use of the genitive in place of the dative, (“ὑπ(ά)τῳ τοῦ Ἀλανοῦ), but rather says “ὑπ(άτῳ) τῷ τοῦ Ἀλανοῦ” (i.e. “of Alanos”), a way of designation used in other cases in the eleventh century (τῷ τοῦ Εὐθυμίου, τῷ τῆς Πρώτης etc.).
no. 197: The Atouemai were also allied to the family of Metochites. The uncle of Ioannes V, Alexios Atouemes, in the 1357 pact with Venice, is in fact Alexios Atouemes Laskaris Metochites, a son of the famous Theodoros Metochites. He used his surnames interchangeably.Footnote 3
no. 203: Daimonoïoannes probably does not have two titles, sebastos and the otherwise unattested prothypertatos. It is rather a literary way of indicating the title protosebastohypertatos or, less possibly, the panhypersebastos.
no. 215: The document that Manuel Liberos signs has been effectively re-dated from 1334 to 1283 (or less probably 1268).Footnote 4 Therefore an identification should not be excluded.
