Alousianos, patrikios, son of Alousianos, 11th century. Seal (Lead, 23 mm, 7.43 g, 12 h). Nimbate facing bust of Saint Theodore, holding a spear over his right shoulder, and resting a shield on his left arm. Rev. ... / [A]ΛOVCHA/[N]O ΠΡI T૪ / AΛOVCIA/NOV in five lines. Unpublished in the standard references, and of great historical interest. Reverse struck slightly off center, rough surfaces, otherwise, very fine.



Our seal likely belonged to a son of Alousianos, one of the sons of the last Bulgarian tsar Ivan Vladislav, who entered into the service of the Byzantine emperor along with his brothers. Four of his seals are known, all referencing commands in the East - far from his ancestral home and center of influence. Later, the family name Alousianos appears on several seal types belonging to the descendants of the Bulgarian prince. However, our seal bears the name as a patronymic, not as a family name, suggesting that the owner was a direct descendant, most likely his son.