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John, Logariastes of the Tropaiophoros (St. George of Mangana), 11th century (last third)

1 box
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Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Obverse: Bust of Virgin, hands raised, medallion of Christ before her.

Reverse: Text in five lines.

Θ(εοτό)κε β(οή)θ(ει) [Ἰ]ω(άννῃ) λογαριαστῇ τοῦ Τροπαιοφόρου

The office of logariastes, first attested in 1012, oversaw finances, in particular the control of expenses, within government departments as well as in institutions like monateries or on private estates. The Tropaiophoros refers to the complex (formally a euages oikos, or pious institution) of St. George of Mangana, founded by Constantine IX Monomachos between 1042 and 1047. Oikonomides ("St. George of Mangana, Maria Skleraina, and the 'Malyj Sion' of Novgorod," DOP 34/35 [1980/1981]: 239-246) published an institutional seal (DO 58.106.39) for the sekreton of the foundation, governed by a megas oikonomeion, which was distinct from the kouratorikion of Mangana, a separate bureau governed by a kourator. The Tropaiophoros was created as the oikos for Constantine's mistress, Maria Skleraina. This John is the only known official of the Tropaiophoros for whom seals survive.

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:

John, Logariastes of the Tropaiophoros (St. George of Mangana); 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
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Box 1

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Bibliography

Parallels: Hermitage M-5769 and Vienna MK 87 (=Schlumberger, Sigillographie, p. 151, no. 3; p. 399, no. 1 [pic p. 21]). The second example from Schlumberger does not have the invocation or name, but the line breaks and obverse iconography are identical, so it is safe to assume that this is from the same individual.