★ The important bureaucrat Nikolaos Tzantzes ★

Nikolaos Tzantzes, 2nd half of 11th century. Seal (Lead, 19 mm, 6.12 g, 12 h). +KЄ / ROHΘЄI / Tω Cω Δ'/Λω ('Lord, help your servant') in four lines; above, horizontal line. Rev. NIKO/ΛAω TO TZAN/•T'H• in four lines; decoration above. Jordanov, Corpus II, p. 406-7 (citing 3 parallel unpublished examples in Dumbarton Oaks). Minor roughness and oxidation, otherwise, very fine.

Zacos III, 127 recently published a seal of a Nikolaos Tzanzes, whose family name suggests an Armenian origin, as vestes, imperial notarios of the sakelle and judge of Charsianon. The same individual also occurs in the acts of the Patmos monastery, where a document copies the legend of one of Nikolaos' seals, naming him imperial notarios of the sakelle, judge and anagrapheus of the Cycladic Islands, whereas another act dated to 1088 records his dignity as magistros. While our seal does not record any dignities or titles, it is very likely it also belongs to this Nikolaos Tzanzes, the late 11th century bureaucrat.