Hello,
Here is a recent acquisition of a byzantine lead seal, with no data other than photos and metrological data.
Weight: 12.3 grams; Average diameter: approx. 17 mm; Average thickness: approx. 5.5 mm.
![Byzantine lead seal : Mother of God, help Serge, son of George ? Avers_43](https://i.servimg.com/u/f86/20/25/86/12/avers_43.jpg)
Below is my deciphering of this seal, and I thank you in advance for your comments and opinions.
As it stands, this seal seems to me to be unprecedented (?) in terms of the few specialist works and websites consulted "to date"...
John (alias Minotaure)
Obverse: Type I invocatory monogram (V. Laurent)
Accosted in quadrants 1, 2, 3, 4 of V, I, ω, +
For "Θεοτόκε βοήθει" and "υἱῷ"
That is, "Mother of God help" and "son"
And presumably for: Mother of God, help X, son of Y.
X (the son) and Y (the father) certainly being united in the monogram on the reverse....
Reverse: Letters: γ, ε, ι, ο, ρ, σ, υ, ω
In capital letters on the seal.
Monogram of
both Serge and George
In Serge, there is a σ but no ω Σεργίου
In George, there is a ω but no σ Γεωργίου
In this monogram, the "omega" of George "embraces" all the letters of Serge, like the arms of a "father embracing his son"...
So, in the end: Θεοτόκε βοήθει Σεργίου υἱῷ Γεωργίου i.e. "Mother of God, help Serge, son of George"