Three other seals of Basil Apokapes are known, all in worse condition than this example. From a well known Georgian family, Basil entered the entourage of the curopalate David. He first came to prominence when he successfully defended the fortress of Manzikert against the Seljuk Sultan, Toghrul Bey. The Apokapes were well established in Edessa, and Basil eventually became governor of that town under his collegue Philaretos Brachamios, domesticos of the Orient (see lots 125-127), a post he held until his death in 1083.