Новый сфрагистический источник с южного берега Крыма: печать Патрикия и главного логофета Константина из акватории у мыса Плака

Abstract

Introduction. Thanks to sigillographic sources, the sigillographic map of Byzantine Taurika is constantly being refined and expanded due to the emergence of new places for detecting molybdoboulla. Today, the finds of seals can be noted not only in the Southwestern or Eastern Crimea, but also on the southern coast of the peninsula. Methods. The attraction of sigillographic data, including from underwater archaeological research, and their comprehensive analysis (stylistic, iconographic, paleographic) often sheds light on some still dark pages both in the history of Taurika and the Byzantine state as a whole. A new find of the Byzantine seal from the water area of the Crimean South Coast opens another previously unknown point near Cape Plaka, where a sigillographic monument was first discovered, and once again raises the question of the addressees of correspondence, which, as it seems, should have been directly related to the Byzantine administration. Analysis and results. According to legend, the seal belonged to an official of the first rank – patrikios Constantine, who held one of the highest civilian posts in the Byzantine capital – the position of the genikos logothetes. The stylistic features of the molybdoboulla, together with the data of written sources, give reason to date this sigillographic monument to the beginning of the last quarter of the 9th century. The discovery of a seal in the water area near Cape Plaka may probably indicate not only a ship parking in a convenient bay, but also the existence of a certain port infrastructure in the nearby coastal town (Lambat), which, judging by the seal, in one way or another should have been directly related to both the local administration apparatus and the capital’s authorities in connection with the region’s entry into the sphere of imperial influence and the subordination of Taurika to the administrative and financial institutions of the Byzantine Empire. Contribution of authors. Нistorical, sigillographic and epigraphic analysis conducted by N.A. Alekseienko; historical-topographical and archaeological survey conducted by S.V. Ivanov.