Two Seals of the Strategоs of Asia Minor’s Themes from the North Black Sea

The seals of Fers Tsotzikos as anthypatos Patrikios and Strategos of Cappadocia and TornikVarazvatche as protospatharios and strategos of Claudia (?) were found in Cherson and Tamatarkha. Both persons belonged to the aristocracy of Tao-Klardzheti (Georgia) and were sent to Byzantium after the annexation of Tao in the year 1000, both made their careers in the provincial administration in the first quarter of the 11th c.; Both families Tzotzikies and Tchortvaneli belong to the middle strata of Byzantine society. Tzotzikies is known as the strategoi of Paristrion, Mantzikert and Artakh, John Tzurbanel, Constantin Tzurbanel, Chortvanel Abukharb were the strategoi too. Fers took part in the plot against emperor Basil II and was tortured (1022), Tornik Varazvatche later was the strategos of Edessa. The find of the seals of Fers Tsotzikos and Tornik Varazvatche in the north of the Black sea testify to the contacts of the strategoi of Asia Minor’s themes with the strategos of Cherson and byzantine (?) administration of Tamatarkha