
The symposium on Byzantine sigillography that concluded last week was both a testament to the excellent organization by the Department of Byzantine Studies at the University of Cologne and a vibrant space for high-quality presentations and engaging, fruitful discussions. Unlike previous editions, which were often by invitation only, this year’s symposium included a highly successful call for papers. This broader participation provided a unique opportunity to learn about numerous exciting projects and personal research efforts.
By examining roles such as the Count of the Stables and the Gerokomos, the conference shed light on certain functions of the central administration that clearly deserve renewed attention—thanks in large part to sigillographic contributions. This insight calls for a systematic reassessment of these administrative roles. The first section of the symposium also reminded us of the importance of integrating sigillographic sources with other written evidence. While seals frequently confirm known data, they can also contradict it—or at least offer alternative perspectives. Rather than yielding definitive answers, these divergences often spark new, productive questions. After all, every piece of research begins with a question.
The linguistic analysis of seal legends was another key theme. This type of analysis clarifies relationships between terms used to describe various functions—for example, the ek prosopou—and offers new insights into these roles. Perhaps more significantly, it challenges traditional notions of “errors” in seal legends, advocating instead for a conservative editorial approach. Rather than correcting these “mistakes,” emendations should be included in a critical apparatus and fully justified.
Seals from the Palaiologan period—often underrepresented in sigillographic studies—were a particularly welcome topic. Presentations explored statistical, prosopographical, and social approaches aimed at better understanding the aristocracy of the time. One presentation focused on the unique iconography of David of Trebizond, reflecting the issuer’s evolving self-representation in response to contemporary historical events.
The symposium also featured exciting new material from well-localized sites such as Rhodes, the Acropolis of Athens, Chios, and the area around Antioch of Pisidia. Given the frequent lack of provenance in sigillography, such finds are especially valuable, offering enhanced interpretive potential. Additional material presented during the “thematic” section included objects from Turkish museums and the Canellopoulos Collection—though unfortunately without detailed provenance information.
Understanding a seal’s origin—whether through its legend or findspot—opens up further interpretive possibilities. This kind of data allows researchers to explore seal circulation and the political, commercial, and geographic networks implied by their movement. Several symposium papers incorporated geographic data, examining interregional connections such as those between the western Black Sea and western Asia Minor, as well as more focused regional studies on areas like Thrace, Sardinia, and the Danube basin near Dorostolon.
Two other geographically distant but crucial regions of the empire—Italy and Africa in the 7th century—were also represented. One paper focused on seals that may be attributed to the Exarch Theodoros Kalliopas, while another examined the Praetorian Prefect Marinus, who also served as kommerkiarios.
The symposium underscored that seals are not isolated artifacts but are embedded in their cultural context. Their characteristics can be mirrored in other objects—an insight that helps us better understand both the seals and those related items. Rings, for instance, were reexamined in light of sigillographic and textual parallels, prompting a reevaluation of their interpretation in scholarly literature. Architecture offered another avenue: monograms, typical of seals, were found on buildings in Constantinople, suggesting that sigillographic practices could clarify their architectural usage. This comparative approach extended to signacula and markers, revealing affinities despite differences in matrices, legend complexity, or epigraphy. Broadening the scope of comparative material—across different object types and even cultures—enriches the field, offering not just points of contact but also valuable contrasts that inspire new, unexpected research questions.
No previous symposium on Byzantine sigillography—none of the twelve before it—has emphasized methodological innovation and publication strategies as strongly as this one. Digital tools were not a mere appendix to the event; they actively shaped its agenda (and helped fund it). Ignoring this shift is no longer an option.
The first day introduced the current version of the Taktikon, a promising prosopographical tool focused on specific social groups, primarily—but not exclusively—drawn from sigillographic sources. One of its standout features is the use of unique identifiers for seals and boulloteria.
Another ambitious initiative is the DigiSigiCorp project, centered on seals from Bulgaria. These often have well-documented findspots and histories, and the project highlights the value of such data through a digital lens.
The symposium also marked the official launch of the SigiDoc portal. SigiDoc is both a standard for digital scholarly editions of seals—developed by the DigiByzSeal project and used also by the DigiSigiCorp project—and the name of the portal itself. The naming reflects its established reputation among both sigillographers and digital humanists.
The creation of SigiDoc is not simply the result of technological maturity—it’s about will. Discussions around such tools began two decades ago. Now, the tools are functional, tested, and available to all. What’s needed is the willingness to adopt them, even if doing so requires a short period of adjustment. They are designed to be inclusive and user-friendly.
Moreover, the digital solutions presented at the symposium are far more sustainable than traditional print publications. While printed volumes are elegant and of high quality, they are economically and scientifically outdated—not to mention static and impossible to update. A striking example came during the symposium itself: an update to the Taktikon book (published in 2021) was presented, but the ideal home for such data would clearly be the forthcoming database. These updates also underscore the significance of seals sold via online auctions— not only for individual specimens of particular interest, but also as part of broader research requiring extensive surveying.
Importantly, SigiDoc and the infrastructure developed by DigiByzSeal aim far beyond individual corpora. What shapes a discipline is a large, shared corpus of reference material. Previous attempts to build such a resource have yielded valuable publications—but they never fully realized the goal. The issue isn’t expertise—it’s organization. This is not a job for a single scholar. It must be a collective effort, and the newly presented portal allows exactly that: to contribute while continuing the everyday work of studying and publishing Byzantine seals. Every contribution will remain clearly attributed—no one will become an anonymous data-entry assistant. The portal is not just a tool—it is, at present, the only viable path toward building le corpus des sceaux de l’Empire byzantin.
The portal also fosters a collaborative, active community. It’s especially well suited to manage the ever-growing body of seals sold through online auctions. Some researchers already gather selections of these, but individual efforts are no substitute for a systematic approach. Only collective action can prevent the loss of this critical material. Many already take notes on seals they find interesting—but the field needs more than private interest. From a technical and organizational standpoint, nothing prevents sigillographers from dividing up auction houses, monitoring a few each, and sharing their findings via the portal. Doing so would make the information instantly available, contribute to the growing corpus, and benefit the entire research community.
The symposium proceedings will be published in the Monographies series of the “Centre d’histoire et civilisation de Byzance” (Paris). Publication is scheduled for summer 2026.