Roman-Byzantine seal of Andreas Palaiologos (*1453-†1502) in Western style

Arms: (Gules) a crowned two-headed eagle (Or)

Crown: An imperial crown

Caption: ANDREAS PALEOLOGVS DEI GRATIA DESPOTES ROMEORVM (“Andreas Palaiologos, by the Grace of God, Despot of the Romans”.)

As it was, the gates of the city were decorated with the arms of the Palaeologues and with crowned shields showing the two-headed eagle.

During the Roman-Byzantine period, lead bullae (singular, Bulla) were widely used to seal and identify the sender of correspondence and containers in shipment. An iron, pliers-shaped instrument, a boulloterion, was used to impress the designs on a lead bulla seal. After the cord was wrapped around the package or document and the ends inserted in a channel in the blank seal, the seal was placed between the disc shaped engraved dies on the jaws of a boulloterion. The boulloterion had a projection above the jaws, which was struck with a hammer to impress the design on the seal and close the channel around the two ends of the cord. With a bulla in place a container cannot be violated without visible damage to either the bulla or the cord, ensuring the contents remain tamper-proof until they reach their destination.