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The title spatharios, Sword-Bearer, was originally an honor reserved for
the imperial bodyguard. By the middle Byzantine period, it had become
an honorific title only, indicating Ioannis’s respectable status.
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Title: Signet Ring of John, Imperial Spatharios
Date: 10th century
Culture: Byzantine
Medium: Gold, niello
Dimensions:
Overall: 11/16 × 7/8 × 15/16 in., 1.2oz. (1.7 × 2.2 × 2.4 cm, 34.023g)
Bezel: 11/16 × 3/4 × 3/16 in. (1.7 × 1.9 × 0.4 cm)
Inside circumference: 2 1/8 in. (5.3 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Gold
Credit Line: Gift of Guy and Valerie Tempest Megargee, 1992
Accession Number: 1992.239
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