★ Konon, the future emperor Leo III ★

Konon (the future emperor Leo III), tourmarches, first quarter of the 8th century. Seal (Lead, 22 mm, 10.40 g, 12 h). +KO/Nω/NOC in three lines, cypress tree on both sides. Rev. +TOVP/MAP/XOV in three lines, cypress tree on both sides. Konstantopoulos, Athens, 231. Somewhat rough, otherwise, very fine.

This and a related seal type of the same individual with the office of patrikios (Zacos/Veglery 899, Seibt, BBÖ 1, 135; Berlin I 169, also with the cypress trees) likely belong to the same person, the future emperor Leo III, whose birth name was Konon. Leo-Konon had a stellar military career and he was strategos of Anatolikon before he ascended to the throne. The seal attesting the rank of patrikios likely belongs to this period, as it is appropriate for a strategos, the commander of a thema, whereas our example, recording the rank of a toumarches, must be somewhat earlier, as a ‘thema’ consisted of four ‘tourmai’, which were subject to one strategos. Historiographical sources do not record the office of tourmarches for Leo, but it was a natural step in a successful military career.