Unique and of great historical and sigillographic importance!

Unique and of great historical and sigillographic importance!
Byzantine Lead Seal (Lead, 5.46 g. 21 mm.) Basil Hexamilites, imperial protospatharios (10th century)
Obv: Bust of St. Nicholas blessing with his right hand and holding a book in his left. Inscription in two columns: ὁ ἅ(γιος) Νηκ(ό)λαο[ς]. Border of dots.
Rev: Inscription of four lines: +Βασι[λ](είῳ) β(ασιλικῷ) (πρωτο)σπαθ(αρίῳ) [τ]ῷ Ἑξαμιλη(τῃ).
Translation: (Seal of) Basil Hexamilites, imperial protospatharios.
Unique and of great historical and sigillographic importance. This is the first known seal of Basil Hexamilites, who is very famous with his major victory against the Hamdanid navy of Tarsus. PmbZ, Basileios Hexamilites (20972). For the family Hexamilites, Wassiliou, Die Familie Hexamilites. Ein Beitrag zur byzantinischen Prosopographie. Hellenika 52 (2002) 243-258.
Hexamilites family came from the Thracian Hexamilion (modern Bolayır). In c. 955 Basil was a patrikios and strategos of the naval Kibyrrhaioton Theme. According to the Theophanes Continuatus, Basil was still young, but an experienced and capable commander. Since the late 9th century, the fleet of the Muslim frontier emirate of Tarsus in Cilicia had been a major threat for Byzantium. In Hexamilites' time, the city of Tarsus had come under the control of the Hamdanid emir of Aleppo, Sayf al-Dawla. Despite his disposing of fewer ships, Hexamilites led his fleet against the Tarsians, sinking many ships with Greek fire and inflicting many casualties and taking many prisoners. The use of Greek fire suggests that Basil not only commanded the ships of his theme but also commanded units of the Imperial Central Fleet, since Greek fire seems to have been generally reserved for the Central Fleet. According to the Muslim historian Ibn al-Athir, this action cost the Tarsians 1800 dead. This victory was crucial for Byzantium, as it crippled the Tarsian fleet and opened the way the expedition to recover Crete, led by Nikephoros Phokas, in 960–961.

Year: 10th century
Diameter: 21 mm
Weight: 5.46 g
Material: Lead