Непубликувани византийски моливдовули от Исторически музей - Разлог (original) (raw)

Непубликувани византийски моливдовули от Исторически музей - Разлог

2020, Нумизматика, сфрагистика и епиграфика

UNPUBLISHED BYZANTINE MOLYBDOBULLAE FROM RAZLOG MUSEUM OF HISTORY Yavor MITOV (Summary) The four molybdobullae published here were handed over to the Razlog Museum of History by private individuals. Their discovery remains under unknown circumstances, in the immediate vicinity of the town of Razlog, in the Betolovoto area. There is an assumption, but also a doubt about the existence of a chancellery or institution in the area where a correspondence was received. This is due to the lack of regular archeological research, and comes as a direct consequence of unregulated activity of individuals, from which there is no data whether they were found at one location or were scattered throughout Betolovoto. Here the seals are arranged according to the inventory numbers the Razlog Museum as follows: seal of Zaharia (11th – 12th c.). The legends, surrounded on both sides by a continuous line, read† Γραφ(άς) σφραγίζω κὲ λόγους Ζαχαρία. The molybdobulla of Zaharia is dating from the 11th - 12th c. There are three pieces known struck by the same bulleuterion. The here presented seal found near Razlog belongs to the mentioned group of molybdobullae and has been struck by the same bulleuterion as the rest ones. seal of tikranios arsakidus (second half of the 11th c.). The legends on both sides are surrounded by a dotted circle. The text is a metric - Byzantine twelve syllable verse. Restored legend: †Τικρανίου σφράγις(μα) τοῦ Ἀρσακίδους. Two molybdobullae of this type belonging to Tikranios Arsakidus are known. Tikranios was a member of the Armenian family of the Arsakids. The home of the Arsakids was one of the noble families in the Byzantine Empire. A number of members of the dynasty, some of them holding high positions, are known from molybdobullae and written evidence. There are no titles or state positions in the molybdobulla here presented, but the metric text shows that it belonged to a highly educated private individual with certain financial means. reused seal from vestes theodore (11th c.). The molybdobulla was overstruck by the addressee. After the letter had been written, stamped and sent by Stephen from Razlog, it reached its recipient, Theodore, who, in response to the message, struck the molybdenum again and returned it to the sender. Possibly Stephen might have been the owner of the archive with the seals found by Razlog. Two legends were read on the lead form with the names of Vestes Theodore and Stephen: 1st legend - ὁ ἅ(γιος) Δημ[ή]τ[ρ]ι[ος] / Κ(ύρι)ε β(οή)θ(ει) Θεο[δ]ορο [βέ]σ[τ(ῃ)]; 2nd legend - Κ(ύρι)ε βο[ήθει τῳ σῳ δούλῳ] Στεφ[άνῳ τ]... . The seal in question shows the path of the correspondence Razlog - N. - Razlog. This rare case of overstriking a molybdobulla makes it possible to understand the name of the person Stephen, who resided in the Betolovoto area. seal of ioannis (11th – 12th c.). The letters on the right side of the obverse and respectively on the left side of the reverse side of the seal alone have been preserved from the legend. We can be sure to read just a few of the letters. The fourth line on the obverse clearly shows the name Ιωάννης, abbreviated with a ligature above it. The here discussed molybdobullae have allowed to ascertain that one of the persons sending correspondence from the Betolovoto area was Stephen, identified thanks to the overstruck on his seal made by the addressee, Theodore. As we have no detailed information about the provenance of the seals (whether they were found together and in one place or were scattered around the area), it is impossible to conclude whether the other molybdobullae in discussion are directly related to the owner of the bulleuterion, Stephen. Concerning the Razlog region, the nearby village of Eleshnitsa is still another location where Byzantine seals were also discovered. As for the current molybdobullae, they were found, generally in the Betolovoto area. There, years ago, during archeological excavations, the remains of three churches were revealed. They are dating from the time of the Byzantine domination, 11th - 12th c., and testify to an active settlement life in the area during the period. The here presented molybdobullae are a result of it.