Iobane, proedros, son of Liparit, the proedros and protarchos, middle 11th century. Seal (Lead, 34 mm, 30.47 g, 12 h). Georgian (Asomtavruli) circular legend; in fields, Θ / Γ/Є-Ⲱ/P/Γ, Nimbate facing bust of Saint George, holding a spear over his right shoulder, and resting a shield on his left arm. Rev. +KЄ ROHΘ, / TⲰ CⲰ Δ૪ΛⲰ / IⲰRANЄ ΠPOЄ/ΔPⲰ TⲰ VIⲰ T૪ / ΠPOЄΔP૪ S ΠPⲰ/TAPXH૪ T૪ ΛI/ΠAPITOV in seven lines, decorations above and below. Unpublished in the standard references. A spectacular and impressive bilingual seal of a 11th century Georgian prince. Some corrosion, otherwise, good very fine.



Iobane was a Georgian prince from the influential Liparit dynasty, the son of Liparit IV, a major figure in 11th-century Byzantine-Georgian history. Liparit IV is mentioned in the sources during the Seljuk invasion of Iberia in 1049, led by Ibrāhīm Īnāl, the half-brother of Sultan Tughril Beg. Emperor Konstantinos IX Monomachos, seeing the Seljuks gaining the upper hand, sought the aid of the battle-hardened prince Liparit of Trialeti, who responded by leading a considerable Georgian army. However, the Byzantine-Georgian forces were defeated, and Liparit was captured along with his sons, Iobane (the owner of our seal) and Niania. While Iobane was soon released, his father and brother remained in captivity for some time before being freed through the intervention of the Byzantine emperor.

In the 1050s, Liparit found himself in conflict with his main rival, the Georgian king Bagrat IV (1027–1072). Eventually, Liparit lost the support of the Georgian nobles and was forced to surrender his possessions to the king and retreat to a monastery. However, his son Iobane was given a prominent position in Bagrat’s court. Meanwhile, Niania escaped to Byzantine-controlled Ani, and a seal in the Boersema collection attests to his position as katepano of the Byzantine province of Iberia, a high-ranking military command (Wassiliou-Seibt, Sammlung Boersema 52).