Basakios (Armenian Vasak), droungarios of the 4th droungos, late 7th-early 8th century. Seal (Lead, 22 mm, 19.48 g). Cruciform monogram KЄ BOHΘЄI; in quadrants, TO - CO / [Δ]૪-ΛO. Rev. +BACA/KHOV ΔPO/NΓΓAP, ΔP/ONΓ૪ TЄ/TAPT, ('Basakios, droungarios of the fourth droungos') in five lines. Wassiliou-Seibt, Sammlung Boersema, 2 (this seal). An interesting military seal attesting an unpublished command. Some surface roughness, otherwise, very fine.


Basakios is the Greek form of the Armenian name Vasak. As droungarios, he was the commander of a droungos, a unit within a larger army division. Normally, just the office is mentioned on seals, but this seal further specifies the command by using the ordinal number 'tetartos' - the fourth droungos - which is unparalleled on seals.