PB Byzantine seal of the community (koinon) of Dekapolis (AD 7th century)
Obv: Bust of the Mother of God with the medallion of Christ before her. Crosses flanking her on either side. Linear border.
Rev: Inscription of four lines: τὼ κοινὸν τῆ[ς] Δεκαπόλεος. Linear border.
Translation: The community of Dekapolis.
Parallel specimens, DO Seals 5 no. 7.1. Zacos-Veglery, no. 1173; Cheynet, Collection Zacos, no. 25.
Cheynet states that the term koinon here refers to the ten cities of the Dekapolis, but whether koinon means a civil or an ecclesiastical unit remains unclear.
Weight: 18.27 g.
Diameter: 27.46 mm.