Liberos, sebastos, 13th century. Seal (Lead, 33 mm, 31.87 g, 12 h). O / ΠP/OΦI/TH/C - Δ/A/NI/HΛ ('The prophet Daniel') The prophet Daniel standing facing, nimbate, raising both hands in prayer, lion on either side. Rev. KPITHC [ΔA]/NIHΛ KAI Γ[P]/AΦⲰN NVN Π/POCTATHC TЄΛЄ[I] / CЄBACT૪ ΛIBЄP[૪] / ΠΡAξЄIC KPI/NⲰN ('The judge Daniel, who judges the acts of the sebastos Liberos, is now the guardian of his letters') in seven lines. Laurent, Orghidan 312. Laurent, Vatican 130. Wassiliou-Seibt, Corpus I, 1150. Surface crack along the channel, otherwise, good very fine.


The obverse of this wonderful late Byzantine seal type calls Daniel 'prophet', but the double twelve-syllable verse on the reverse refers to him as 'judge', evidently in allusion to the story of Susannah, in which the young Daniel acts as a judge by cross-examining and eventually exposing two lustful elders who had falsely accused Susannah of adultery. The seal belonged to Liberos, who bears the high court dignity of sebastos, and who may in fact have been named Daniel Liberos (Wassiliou-Seibt, Corpus I, p. 509).