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Post by ILIRI I MADH on Dec 5, 2008 23:50:55 GMT -5
A seal ascribed to Skanderbeg has been kept in Denmark since it was discovered in 1634. It was bought by the National Museum in 1839. The seal is made of brass, is 6 cm in length and weighs 280 g. The inscription (laterally reversed) is in Greek and reads ÂÁÓÉËÅÕÓ.ÁËÅÎÁÍÄÑÏÓ.ÅËÅÙ.ÈÕ. ÁÕÔ.ÑÙÌ.ÏÌÅÃ. ÁÕÈ.ÔÏÕÑ.ÁËÂ. ÓÅÑÂÉ.ÂÏÕËÃÁÑÉ. Several words are abbreviated, but an English translation might be: King. Alexander. By the grace of God. Emperor of the Romans. The Great. Ruler of the Turks. Albanians. Serbs. Bulgarians. If this seal is authentic, it indicates that George Kastrioti declared himself king, using the name Skender in its Greek form. (Greek or Latin were the customary languages for royal inscriptions in the Middle Ages.) The titles highly exaggerate his actual power, but this was often the case for Medieval rulers. Skanderbeg is apparently seen as a successor of the Byzantine emperors, as shown by the title and the double-eagled crest, during this period a symbol of Byzantine power. The double headed eagle was first used by the Roman Emperor of Illyrian origin Constantine the Great.
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Post by meltdown711 on Dec 6, 2008 3:58:58 GMT -5
The seal isnt authentic... Its a later creation. If he had done it, it would have angered the existing Byzantine inheritors who were still alive. And during most of his rule the Empire of Trebiznod was still alive, which was the legitimate heir to the Roman Empire.
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Post by ILIRI I MADH on Dec 6, 2008 4:07:31 GMT -5
A lot of people from that time would give themselves titles that they didnt really hold.
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Post by ilirdardani on Dec 6, 2008 8:27:35 GMT -5
Whats the animal under the eagle? Looks like a wolf or dog to me.
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Post by ILIRI I MADH on Dec 6, 2008 21:59:41 GMT -5
Its a wolf, which was also used by the albanians as a seal.
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Post by ilirdardani on Dec 7, 2008 10:08:16 GMT -5
Thanks Ilir.
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Post by diurpaneus on Dec 8, 2008 15:16:59 GMT -5
Thanks Ilir.
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