★ Very important ★

*Very important* Unidentified Byzantine Pb Seal (12.29g, 20mm) Andreas, Koubikoularios. AD 659-668. Pb Seal (12.29g, 20mm)
Obv: Rider (Andreas?) on horseback to right, holding a roll in cylindrical receptacle in his right hand.
Rev: Cruciform monogram: ANΔPEOV; in four angles, CЧ-b[I]-CЧ- Ꮹ Lr.
Translation: (Seal of) Andreas, koubikoularios.
Ref: BLS I 1375 (AD 550-650); Seibt/Zarnitz 4.3.11; Hecht 6.
Andreas koubikoularios is well attested in literary sources. He is said to have been a powerful eunuch who was a courtier of emperor Constantine IV and notably recaptured the fortress of Amorion from the Arabs in the winter AD 668-9, killing a defence force of 5000 (Theoph. AM 6159).
Several interpretations have been offered for the obverse figure and the object he is holding. Most probable is the interpretation offered by the editors of the Hecht col. catalogue who identify the rider as Andreas koubikoularios himself, in the guise of imperial mandator or messenger. The object in his hand must be the message, a roll inside a cylindrical receptacle.