Theodoros, monk, circa 8th century. Seal (Silver, 23 mm, 4.50 g), bivalve and in the shape of a shell with a suspension loop. Cruciform monogram KVPIЄ BOHΘЄI ('Lord, help'); in each quadrant, four dots in the shape of a cross. Rev. +ΘЄⲰ/ΔOPOV M/ONAXO / AMHN ('Theodoros, monk. Amen.') in four lines. Cf. Vikan/Nesbitt (1980): Locking, Sealing, and Weighing: p. 23, no. 52 (for a similar shell-shaped bivalve seal, but in bronze) and C. Stiegemann (ed.) (2001): Byzanz. Das Licht aus dem Osten: Kult und Alltag im Byzantinischen Reich vom 4. bis 15. Jahrhundert. Katalog der Ausstellung im Erzbischöflichen Diözesanmuseum: III.12 (for a similar shell-shaped bivalve seal, but in bronze). An exceptionally well preserved and intricately designed seal of an early Byzantine monk. Some scratches on the obverse, otherwise, good extremely fine.