TWO 16th CENTURY SEAL RINGS OF AN UNIDENTIFIED NOBLEMAN FROM VODOČA

Abstract

The unusual inventory from grave 489 at Vodoča ( a knife, fragments of buttons from high-quality garments and especially the two seal rings) offers a provocative story concerning an interesting and controversial individual from the 16"' century. Fig. 1, 2.
The fact that the signet ring was found on the index finger of the right handoff the deceased (Fig. 5, 4), that its shape is characteristic of knights rings and that its seal is in the form of a dragon with spread wings indicates that the deceased was of noble origin, and probably a knight.
The Knight Order of the Dragon was established by the Hungarian king in 1408 and its mission was the fight against the Antichrist and the onslaught of the Ottomans. The knights of the highest rank (kings, despots, herzogs, dukes and other feudal lords) had the privilege of,,best owing'1 knighthood on 50 of their followers.
In the 15"' century, some ,,noble" individual from these parts was knighted in this manner. His descendant from the second or third generation (judging from the fact that the ring is worn off with long use) was buried with this insignia in grave 489 in Vodoča.
At the same time, a practically „new" 16"'- century memorial ring with an Ottoman Turkish seal on which the name ‘Mohamed’ is inscribed was found on the left hand of this individual. (Fig. 5-7).
It can be fairly safely assumed that the individual who gave this memorial ring as a gift was Mohamed Ibrahim who is mentioned in the Ottoman 16"'- century cadastral survey (defiers) in Vodica (Vodoča), district of Strumica, military district of Kjustendil.