Administrative Networks in Thrace: The Evidence of Seals

In the region of Thrace, thousands of seals have been discovered, for which we know the place of finding either because they come from archaeological excavations or from indications by collectors, although their information is not always accurate. The seals found in the territories of present-day Bulgaria, which correspond to a large part of Byzantine Thrace, have been published by Ivan Jordanov, providing a unique source for the history of the region. By knowing the findspot of the seals as well as the office and the area of service of the sender of the seal, we are able to reconstruct the communication networks with Thrace. The present paper, which is based on the research and findings of the project “Lead Seals in Byzantine Thrace: Re-examination of data, mapping the distribution of findings and tracing the communication networks (LSByT)” carried out in Thessaloniki, will attempt to highlight the communication networks of officials within and outside Thrace, on the basis of the seals discovered in the area and dating to the Middle Byzantine period (8th–12th c.).