Seal of the Armenian Thathoul Pakourianos, sebastos, protonobelissimos and archon of the archontes

(ca 1100)

An extremely rare and unpublished seal with a high historical importance concerning a famous Armenian governor of the town Germanikeia (Marash) in Asia Minor.

 (Lead, 27 mm, 12.6 g, 12 h). 

Obv.: Saint Theodore, nimbate, standing facing, holding spear in his right hand and resting his left on shield, sigla in the fields, O/A/ΓΙ/Ο,-Θ/ΕΟ/ΔΩ/Ρ/Ο, (Saint Theodore), dotted border.

Rev.: Inscription in 5 lines between decorative patterns, TAT૪,Λ CE~/A´ΝΩRE[ΛΙ]CM,/ S APXΩ TΩN AP/XONTΩN O ΠA/KOVPΙANΟ, = Τατου(ὴ)λσε(βαστός), πρωτονοβελλίσιμος καὶ ἄρχω(ν) ἀρχόντων, ὁ Πακουριανὸς (Thathoul Pakourianos, sebastos, protonobelissimos and archon of the archontes), dotted border.

Zacos Sale II 129 (different boulleterion). Cf. J.-C. Cheynet: Thathoul, archonte des archontes, in: REB 48 (1990), p. 233-242 and Zacos Sale II 128. 

An important seal of an Armenian governor known from the historic record, unpublished in the standard references.

Roughness on the obverse, weakness areas, otherwise, about Fine/Very Fine.

From a European collection, formed before 2005.

Commentary: Cheynet identifies the owner of this seal with the Armenian T'at'ul, who was governor of the town of Germanikeia (Marash) under Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118). Germanikeia held a key strategic location on the eastern border, controlling the route to Antioch. In fact, during the First Crusade, it was a resting place for the Normans commanded by Bohemond and Richard of Salerno, who recognized the authority of Thathoul as its governor. However, in 1104, another Crusader force, commanded by Bohemond and Joscelin of Courtenay, took possession of Germanikeia and deposed the Armenian governor, who retreated to Constantinople. The family name identifies Thathoul as a member of the illustrious family of the Pakourianoi, who were of Georgian origin. Another seal type of Thathoul exists that is slightly different (Zacos Sale II, 128, published in a dedicated article by Cheynet, and of which a second parallel sold in our Web Auction 20, 3178).