New Byzantine seals from Morava (Margum) and Braničevo

Abstract

The authors present new finds of Byzantine lead seals at Morava (Margum), Braničevo and the broader area around them. The seals from Morava and Braničevo were unearthed in the course of archaeological excavations, which make these finds particularly important. Significant among them is the seal from Morava, which belonged to Symeon (?), magister and logothete of the dromos, from the end of the tenth century, which indicates the presence of Byzantine officials in Morava and the establishment of Byzantine authority along the north-western Danubian border following the fall of the Bulgarian empire in 971. Three new seals from Braničevo complement the list of Byzantine officials in connection with the events on the Danubian border in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The seals found in the broader area of Brani~evo should also be added to this list. Of particular significance among them is the seal of Georgios Palaiologos Doukas Komnenos, megas hetaireiarches, a well known historical figure involved in events in Hungary, Serbia and on the Danubian border in the 1160s. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177021: Urbanisation Processes and Development of Mediaeval Society and Grant no. 177032: Tradition, innovation and identity in the Byzantine world]

Keywords

• Seals
• Byzantium
• Morava
• Margum
• Braničevo
• Administration
• Border