Obolos 21

BYZANTINE SEALS. John Nestoggos, Magistros and Strategos, circa 11th century. Seal or Bulla (Lead, 20 mm, 7.02 g, 11 h), Serres?, after 1070-1080. O/ΘE/O/ΔΩ/P -T/O CΦ/Ω/P/Κ Nimbate and bearded facing bust of St. Theodore of the Sphorakion district of Constantinople, holding a spear over his right shoulder with his right hand and holding a shield with his left. Rev. +KE BΘ/ TΩ CΩ ΔOY/ IΩ MAΓIC/TPΩ S CTPA/THΓΩ ΤΩ/ NECTOΓ/ΓΩ in seven lines, within plain dotted border. Cheynet, Nestongoi p. 263- 264. DO 58.106. 4245 (same bulloterion). Jordanov, Corpus II p. 305. A very rare seal, probably the second known. Possibly the earliest documentation of the Nestoggos family. Unusual for its depiction of St. Theodoros of the Sphorakion. Light scrapes on the higher points of the obverse and on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.

The Nestoggoi, were members of an aristocratic byzantine family of Bulgarian (?) background, whose origin can be traced, through their name, to the area of Nestos river, in eastern Macedonia. The family reached its peak in the 13th century when it was completely assimilated into the Byzantine aristocracy, as proven by the fact that in 1255 some Nestoggoi fought against the the forces of the Bulgarian king Michael Asen.