David Senacherim, protovestarches

David Senacherim, protovestarches, 2nd third 11th century. Seal (Lead, 33 mm, 27.47 g, 12 h). Θ / Γ/Є-Ⲱ/P/Γ, Saint George, standing facing, nimbate, holding spear in his right hand, and resting left hand on a shield. Rev. +KЄ R,Θ, | ΔAΔ ΠPOT,|RЄCTAPX, | TⲰ CЄNA|XHPЄI[M] in five lines. Unpublished. A large and impressive seal attesting a hitherto unknown member of the Armenian royal Senacherim family. Struck slightly off center, otherwise, very fine.


This important seal adds another member to the Senacherim family, the descendants of Senek’erim Yovhannes, the last Artsruni King of the small Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan, located to the south and southeast of lake Van. Yovhannes was forced to cede his kingdom to the Byzantine Empire after he had made the unfortunate choice of joining the anti-Byzantine alliance of the Georgian king, Georgi I (998/1002-1027). As Werner Seibt showed, the former Armenian king himself is not attested on seals and neither is his eldest son (Dawit), but his wife Chususa and his sons, Atom, Aposachles and Constantine, all are. The sons bear high Byzantine court titles, giving evidence of their elevated status in Byzantine aristocracy.

This seal of David Senacherim, protovestarches, cannot be attributed to Dawit/David, the eldest son Yovhannes, because he died in circa 1034/35, whereas our seal must be dated several decades later on stylistic grounds and because of the mentioning of the dignity of protovestarches. It thus seems likely that our David was a nephew of David and a grandson of Yovhannes, who, like his uncles, entered into Byzantine service and bore an elevated court rank.

Leu Web 18 Lot 4033
17.12.2021