Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art: Vol. 1, Italy, North of the Balkans, North of the Black SeaDumbarton Oaks
edited by John Nesbitt and Nicolas Oikonomides
ISBN: 0884021947
price: $30.00
The vast collection of Byzantine lead seals in the Harvard
collections (some 17,000 specimens) has long been recognized as
an important source for the study of the Byzantine provinces. The
present volume-the first of four projected catalogues of
geographical seals-deals with the Empire's western territories
(North Africa, Italy, Sicily, and Dalmatia) and its possessions
noarth of Thessaly (Macedonia, Thrace, Bulgaria, and Cherson).
Each section is preceded by a short essay on a region's location
and history. Each seal is illustrated and is accompanied-where
appropriate-by full commentary regarding the specimen's date,
biographical information on its owner, peculiarities of
orthography, and special features of iconography. The volume is a
contribution to historical geography, the evolution of the
Byzantine provincial administration, prosopography, development
in the Greek language, as well as decorative vogues among the
minor arts.
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