★ Lead seal of John N., and epi ton deeseon ★

Lead seal of John N., and epi ton deeseon
(11th cent.)
Condition: Slightly off-centered, trimmed on either side, otherwise F.

Obverse: Bust of Mother of God, facial, with Jesus Christ as child on her right hand, also facial, both nimbate, the usual inscription Μ(ΗΤΗ)Ρ- Θ(ΕΟ)Υ (Mother of God), circular inscription surrounding them: Κ(ΥΡΙ)Ε ΒΟΗΘΕΙ [ΤΩ C]Ω ΔΟΥ(ΛΩ) = Κύριε, βοήθει τῷ σῷ δούλῳ (Lord, help your servant), all within dotted border.

Reverse: The bust of saint Symeon (the Stylites) in monk's garments, facial, nimbate, blessing by his right, columnar inscription [Ο Α(ΓΙΟC)]/C/Υ/Μ- ΕΩΝ = Ὁ ἅγιος Συμεὼν (Saint Symeon), circular inscription surrounding him: ΙΩ(ΑΝΝΗ) ΤΩ ΚΛΕΙ... [ΕΠΙ ΤΩ]Ν ΔΕΗCΕ(ΩΝ) = Ἰωάννῃ τῶ κλει... καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δεήσεων (John N., and epi ton deeseon), all within dotted border.
The epi tōn deēseōn (Greek: ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν δεήσεων, "the one in charge of petitions") was a Byzantine office, whose holder was responsible for receiving and answering petitions to the Byzantine emperor. Subordinate officials with the same title also existed in the provinces, and the Patriarch of Constantinople also had an epi tōn deēseōn. The office is usually considered (cf. Bury) as the direct continuation of the late Roman magister memoriae, but this identification is not certain. The title is first attested in a 7th-century seal. In the lists of precedence like the Klētorologion, he was counted among the judicial officials (kritai), and surviving seals show that until the 11th century, its holders held relatively mid-ranking dignities, no higher than prōtospatharios. From the latter half of the 11th century however and during the 12th, the office rose much in importance, with its holders receiving higher titles and being drawn from among the Empire's nobility. The last named holder, George Chatzikes, is attested in 1321, but the office is still mentioned as active decades later by Pseudo-Kodinos. It is unknown if he had a dedicated staff (officium), or what its composition may have been; it is absent in the Klētorologion, but a seal of a probably subordinate "notary of the petitions" (notarios tōn deēseōn) is known. Seals also attest to the existence of provincial officials titled epi tōn deēseōn, as in Sicily and the Peloponnese.
Bibliography: Bury, John B. (1911), The Imperial Administrative System of the Ninth Century. Oxford University Publishing, pp. 77–78; Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, p. 724; Oikonomides, Nicolas (1972), Les listes de préséance byzantines des IXe et Xe siècles (in French). Paris, Éditions CNRS, p. 322; Verpeaux, Jean, ed. (1966), Pseudo-Kodinos, Traité des Offices (in French), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

Weight: 13.19 gr
Diameter: 23 mm