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Thoros I Roupenids, 13th century (first third)

1 box
HAS ONLINE CONTENT
Item Number:
3
Collection Creator:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Dates:
13th century (first third)
Located In:
Box 1
Extent:
1 box
Languages:
English
Scope and Contents

Obverse: Full-length of two military saints, facing forward. The one on the left holds a teardrop-shaped shield with a cross in his left hand, while the one on the right holds a spear in his right hand and a shield, resting on the ground, in his left.

Reverse: Inscription in seven lines

.[Δ]υάς με [φ]ρούρει καλλι[ν]ίκων μαρτύ[ρ](ων) [σ]εβαστὸν Θε[όδ]ωρον τὸν [Ρ]ουπένιον

24-syllable metrical seal. Only the right saint here is definitively identified by an inscription – Theodoros Stratelates. Wassiliou-Seibt, Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel, I no. 671 identifies the left figure as St. Demetrios, while Schlumberger and Leontiades identify him as St. George. There is another Theodoros Roupenios, protonobellisimos, although the reading is uncertain (Jordanov, Corpus II.601-601; idem, Preslav, no. 546), and proposed by W. Seibt (BZ 89, p. 137, no. 546). The name is mentioned in the Alexiad, regarding the territories ceded to Bohemond by Alexios I in the treaty of Devol: he, along with a Leo Roupenios, is an Armenian prince. The parallel of this seal which Schlumberger attributed to the same Theodore Roupenios of the Alexiad (with Laurent following in a XI-XII dating), Sandrovskaja (Sphragistika, no. 717) moved the date forward more definitively into the XII c., attributing it to Thoros I (c. 1100-c. 1129) or Thoros II (1144/5-1169) Rubenids. Attribution follows Leontiades 2006 and Wassiliou-Seibt 2011, who attribute this definitively to Thoros I.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Credit this material:

Thoros I Roupenids; Byzantine Seals Collection, C1460, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box 1
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Processing Information

Description by Lain Wilson, 2012.

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Obverse: Full-length of two military saints, facing forward. The one on the left holds a teardrop-shaped shield with a cross in his left hand, while the one on the right holds a spear in his right hand and a shield, resting on the ground, in his left.

Reverse: Inscription in seven lines

.[Δ]υάς με [φ]ρούρει καλλι[ν]ίκων μαρτύ[ρ](ων) [σ]εβαστὸν Θε[όδ]ωρον τὸν [Ρ]ουπένιον

24-syllable metrical seal. Only the right saint here is definitively identified by an inscription – Theodoros Stratelates. Wassiliou-Seibt, Corpus der byzantinischen Siegel, I no. 671 identifies the left figure as St. Demetrios, while Schlumberger and Leontiades identify him as St. George. There is another Theodoros Roupenios, protonobellisimos, although the reading is uncertain (Jordanov, Corpus II.601-601; idem, Preslav, no. 546), and proposed by W. Seibt (BZ 89, p. 137, no. 546). The name is mentioned in the Alexiad, regarding the territories ceded to Bohemond by Alexios I in the treaty of Devol: he, along with a Leo Roupenios, is an Armenian prince. The parallel of this seal which Schlumberger attributed to the same Theodore Roupenios of the Alexiad (with Laurent following in a XI-XII dating), Sandrovskaja (Sphragistika, no. 717) moved the date forward more definitively into the XII c., attributing it to Thoros I (c. 1100-c. 1129) or Thoros II (1144/5-1169) Rubenids. Attribution follows Leontiades 2006 and Wassiliou-Seibt 2011, who attribute this definitively to Thoros I.

Collection History

Appraisal

No materials were separated during 2014 processing.

Processing Information

Description by Lain Wilson, 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Thoros I Roupenids; Byzantine Seals Collection, C1460, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
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Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box 1

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Bibliography

Parallels: Hermitage M-5733 (=Schlumberger, Sigillographie, pp. 694-695; Laurent, Bulles metriques, no. 113, Sandrovskaja, Sfragistika, no. 717; Mutafian, Le royaume arménien de Cilicie: XIIe-XIVe siècles, 22.4); Bmo 51 (Zacos Collection) (=Leontiades, Μολυβδόβουλλα του Μουσείου Βυζαντινού Πολιτισμού Θεσσαλονίκης, no. 50); Staatliche Münzsammlung München, Zarnitz 464 (=Auktion Gorny 62, 20.4.1993, no. 731).