★ The important Hexamilites family ★

Johannes Hexamilites, patrikios, hypatos and judge of the Hippodrome and of Opsikion, 3rd quarter 11th century. Seal (Lead, 24 mm, 9.82 g, 12 h). The Mother of God seated facing on a cushioned and backless throne, holding infant Christ on her lap. Rev. [+ΘKЄ R,HΘ, / IⲰ ΠPI VΠA/TⲰ] KPITH [TOV] / IΠΠOΔPOM[૪ S] / TOV OΨIKI[OV] / TW ЄΞAMIΛ, / *TH* in seven lines. DO Seals III 39.14. Alexandra-Kyriaki Wassiliou: Die Familie Hexamilites. Ein Beitrag zur Byzantinischen Prosopographie, in: Hellenika 52 (2002), 14a. Struck slightly off center, otherwise, very fine.

As Wassiliou shows, the Hexamilites family belonged to Byzantine civil aristocracy and its members are attested from the 10th to 12th centuries. Our Johannes Hexamilites, who held the dignity of patrician and hypatos, was both a judge of the Hippodrome, a court in Constantinopolis, and a judge of the provincial court of the Opsikion theme. Wassiliou also published a later seal, which shows that John advanced his rank to anthypatos and vestes and left the Opsikion theme to become a judge of the Anatolikon theme.