Непубликувани владетелски и административни печати от нумизматичната колекция на Регионален археологически музей – Пловдив

Unpublished royal and administrative seals from the numismatic collection of the Regional Museum of Archaeology – Plovdiv

Abstract

The work presents 7 molybdobullae from the collection of the Regional Museum of Archaeology – Plovdiv. Six of them were donated to the museum in 2008. There is not any information about their provenance. The seventh seal belongs to the strategos Bardas. It was found during archaeological research at the Episcopal Basilica in Plovdiv in 2017. As far as possible, the seals are arranged in chronological order as follows:
Molybdobulla of an anonymous monarch (9th – 10th c.). In the
sigillography it has been associated with the name of the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon (893-927). Its obverse bears the representation of a bust of Christ with a cruciform halo. On the reverse the bust of a monarch is represented with a semi-spherical crown and an ornate precious garment.
Molybdobulla of Simeon, archon of Bulgaria (dating from 893 – 917) bearing a bust representation of Jesus Christ and St. Theotokos, with legends: +Χ(ριστ)ὲ βοήθη Συμεῶνι ἄρχοντι Βουλγαρίας / + Θ(εοτό)κε βοήθη Συμεῶνι ἄρχοντι Βου[λγαρίας]. The seal belongs to the second group of seals of Simeon Archon of Bulgaria.
Molybdobulla of Simeon Basileus of the Romans (dating from 917 – 927) displaying images of Jesus Christ enthroned and Tsar Simeon in full length, with Basileus’ garments and insignia. Legends on both sides of the seal: + Νικοπυοῦ [ε(ἰ)ρη(νο)]πυο(ῦ) πολ(λ)ὰ τὰ ἔ(τη) / [+ Συμεὸν ἐν Χρισ(τῷ)] βασιλε(ὺς) Ῥομέων +; Still another seal struck by the same bulloterion as the previous one of Simeon Basileus of the Romans (dating from 917 – 927) and legends: [+ Νικοπυοῦ ε(ἰ)ρη(νο)]πυο(ῦ) πολ(λ)ὰ [τὰ ἔ(τη)] / [+ Συμεὸν ἐν Χρισ(τῷ)] βασιλε(ὺς) Ῥομέων +. Both seals belong to a group of molybdobullae illustrating the highest stage of the imperial ambitions of the Bulgarian monarch. Pieces of this group scarcely appear outside Veliki Preslav.
Molybdobulla of Tsar Peter (dating from 945 – 969) displaying a bust image of Jesus Christ blessing with one hand and holding the Gospel in His other hand. A bust of Tsar Peter is represented on the other side of the seal with a legend around him: + [Πέτρος β]ασιλεύς.
Molybdobulla of Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (dating from 1042 – 1055) bearing a bust image of Christ on its obverse and a legend: [+ Ἐμμανο]υήλ, and on its reverse – a half-length representation of the emperor Constantine IX Monomachos with insignia and legend written in Latin letters (but possibly with Greek omega): [Cωn]stant(inos) autocra[t(or)]. The seal belongs to type A, variant 2 according to the classification of Zacos – Veglery.
Molybdobulla of Bardas, protospatharios, hypatos and strategos (dating from 1040 – 1050) displaying a bust image of St. Nicholas blessing with his right hand and holding a Gospel in his left hand. A legend on both sides of the image: ὁ ἅ(γιος) Νικόλαος. A legend on the reverse:
Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) Βάρδ[ᾳ] (πρωτο)σπαθαρί(ῳ) ὑπάτο (καὶ) στρατηγό. This seal can be approximated with a known seal of the strategos Bardas Kazakis. Its date relates to the mid 11th c.
The molybdobullae here presented complement the sources of medieval Bulgarian and Byzantine history.