New Sphragistic Finds from the Environs of Byzantine Cherson (to the iIssue of the Correspondence Addressees)
Abstract
Increased interest to the sigillographic artifacts found over the large areas adjacent to the chief administrative and economic centers of medieval Crimea currently allows to expand greatly the geographical map of the molybdoboulloi finds in this region. The topography of the finds in the areas surrounding Cherson had recently expanded significantly as well. Seals originating apparently from the settlements adjacent immediately to the ancient city, as well as from the places very remote from it became known. New finds of Byzantine seals (for instance, the seals of kommerkiarios Theodore, the end of the 6th century, of patrikios and genikos logothetes Petronas, the first half of the 9th century, of anthypatos, patrikios, imperial protospatharios and genikos logothetes Elissios, the second half of the 10th century, of (proto)spatharios and strategos of Cefalonia, of imperial protospatharios ™pr toà Crusotriklßnou and strategos of Cherson Theodore, the 10th – 11th centuries, as well as of protospatharios and strategos Joseph), with a sufficiently accurate localization of their origin provide new information about this sigillographic artifacts themselves, as well as clarify the geography of the Byzantine presence in the southwestern Taurica, particularly showing places yet poorly highlighted by other types of sources.
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