Aposachles (Abu Sahl) Senacherim, nobellisimos, circa 1075-1100. Seal (Lead, 34 mm, 29.36 g, 12 h). Θ / ΘE/O/ΔⲰ/PO/C -ΔH/MH[TPIOC]; on either side of medallion, IC - XC Saint Theodore, on the left, and Saint Demetrios, on the right, both raising their hands in gesture of supplication towards medallion of Christ in between them. Rev. +KЄ RHΘ, / AΠOCAXΛH / NWRЄΛΛICI/MⲰ TⲰ CЄNA/XHPЄIM ('Lord, help Abu Sahl, nobelissimos') in five lines; above and below, decorations. W. Seibt: The Sons of Senek'erim Yovhannēs, the Last King of Vaspurakan, as Byzantine Aristocrats, in: Revue des Études Arméniennes 37 (2016-2017), p. 119-133, p. 124, fig 4.A (this seal). An impressive seal of an Armenian prince. Minor surface roughness, otherwise, very fine.


Aposachles, or Abusahl, was an Armenian prince and one of the sons of Senek'erim Yovhannēs (Sennacherib-John), the last Artsruni King of the small kingdom of Vaspurakan, located to the south and southeast of lake Van. He was named after his grandfather, King Abusahl Hamazasp, who ruled in 958/9-968/9. In 1022, Abusahl's father, Yovhannēs, was forced to cede his kingdom to the Byzantine Empire after he made the unfortunate choice of joining the anti-Byzantine alliance of the Georgian King Georgi I (998/1002-1027). Although the king is not attested on seals, his wife Chususa and his sons David, Atom, Aposachles and Constantine all appear in the sigillographic record with Byzantine court titles, giving evidence of their elevated status in Byzantine aristocracy.


The family members of Aposachles usually only start mentioning civil and military titles on their seals after the battle of Manzikert. However, a seal that appeared in one of our previous sales (Leu Web Auction 20 (2022), 3140), shows that Aposachles was already a strategos at an earlier date. His known seals record his advancement from magistros to proedros, kouropalates and eventually nobellisimos. This seal type therefore marks his highest known dignity.