Peter apo hypaton and general kommerkiarios of the apotheke of [First of Fourth] Armen[ia]

Obverse
In the upper half, bust of Constantine IV, bearded, wearing a helmet (which ties to the left) and a cuirass, holding a spear behind his head in his right hand and a shield in his left hand. In the lower half of the field, two lines of an inscription visible. No visible border.

πετραπ.
..ατων

Πέτρου ἀπὸ ὑπάτων

Reverse
In the upper half, facing busts of Herakleios at left and Tiberios at right; each wears a chlamys and holds a globus cruciger in his right hand. In the lower half of the field, two lines of an inscription visible.

..οθηκησ.
..μεν...

καὶ γενικοῦ κομμερκιαρίου ἀποθήκης .. Ἀρμενίας ....

Πέτρου ἀπὸ ὑπάτων καὶ γενικοῦ κομμερκιαρίου ἀποθήκης .. Ἀρμενίας ....

(Seal of) Peter apo hypaton and general kommerkiarios of the apotheke of .. Armenia ....

The reading of the present specimen presents problems, although the owner is a known person attested in this period from several other seals (Zacos-Veglery I, 146, table 2). We think that the restoration of the inscription of the obverse is based soundly on several other examples and shows that a considerable part of the inscription has been left out of the printed field. On the reverse, much is missing, creating problems due to the absence of the places where Peter held office. At the beginning of line one of the reverse, two letters are missing, meaning in turn that at least two letters are missing from the beginning of the second line. As the last visible letter of the first line of the reverse is pointed (Α or Δ), it follows that this was a figure followed by the name of the Roman province of Armenia: αˊ (or δˊ) Ἀρμενίας. The two lines missing at the end probably contained the names of other provinces over which Peter exercised authority.

The above analysis of the space available would suffice to exclude the restoration Ἀρμενιακῶν, proposed by Zacos-Veglery on the basis of a seal, which had been misread by Mordtmann: cf. Seibt, ByzSl 36 (1975) 209.

The date of the seal is established thanks to the iconography. It is certainly before the deposition of Herakleios and Tiberios in 681; and it bears a portrait of Constantine IV that appears on coins after 674: cf. Grierson, Catalogue II/2, 514, 516.

The term Armenia is used to designate the Roman provinces of that name.

DUMBARTON OAKS
ACCESSION NUMBER BZS.1951.31.5.1759
DO Seals 4, no. 74.3.
Zacos-Veglery, no. 155 (reading Ἀρμενιακῶν).