Ioanna N. Koukouni, Independent Researcher

Two lead bullae, relatively recent finds, enrich the sigillographic record of the island of Chios (Greece). The first mentions a certain George, archon of Chios, whereas the second mentions a certain Nonnos. Although undated, the two bullae aim to shed further light in our poor knowledge of the early medieval history of the island. Additionally, they add one more piece to the puzzle regarding the debated position of Chios in the Byzantine thematic circumscriptions of the imperial provincial administration. The presence of an archon (magistrate) of Chios is known only from the sigillographic record. With the specimen under

consideration, the total number of seals mentioning an archon of Chios rises to six. The striking coincidence is that five out of the six known bullae belong to a "George archon of Chios". These new finds enrich the historical, archaeological and sigillographic record of Chios and contribute to the few epigraphic information and prosopography of the military and civil authorities of this Byzantine province. In the light of these two new finds, this paper will discuss the scholarly debate and the main questions regarding the position of Chios in the Byzantine provincial administration.