Anonymous, 11th-12th centuries. Boulloterion (Silver, 27x22 mm, 10.85 g). M - Θ (retrograde, "Mother of God") The Mother of God “Blachernitissa”, nimbate, raising both hands in prayer. Rev. M - X (retrograde, "Michael") Nimbate facing bust of St. Michael, holding scepter in his left hand and globe in his right. Cf. Zacos/Veglery Plate 1-4 and Vikan/Nesbitt, Locking, Sealing, and Weighing (Houston 1980) p. 24 (for Byzantine boulloteria) and DO Seals VII 5.1-5.5) for the general type of seal matrix). Unpublished. An intriguing small Byzantine sealing tool. Handles removed and joints lose, otherwise, extremely fine.



A boulloterion is a tool resembling a pair of pliers, with two dies engraved on the inner faces. It was used to produce seals - usually made of lead - by striking a planchet through which a string ran in a narrow channel. To allow better control of the sealing process, our boulloterion originally had longer handles, which were evidently removed at some point. Very few Byzantine boulloteria survive today, undoubtedly for reasons of security: they were likely destroyed once they became obsolete, to prevent fraudulent use. Our specimen is remarkable not only for its intricacy, but also because it is made of silver - or perhaps a copper-silver alloy - whereas all other known boulloteria are of iron.