#Exhibit of the Month

The bronze hoard was discovered on the territory of Mîndrești village, Telenești district, in 1968. It was identified accidentally by a group of students from the village school, and the materials later came to the attention of specialists at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences. According to documentary records, the hoard was composed of ten pieces: four socketed axes (celts), a dagger fragment, a sword fragment, a sickle, a winged axe, an adze-axe, and a chain consisting of four links.
Currently, of the mentioned assemblage, six objects are preserved in the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova: two socketed axes (celts), the winged axe, the adze-axe, the dagger fragment, and the chain made of four links.- Socketed axe (celt) with one loop. Dimensions: Length - 10.2 cm; Weight - 186 g.
- Socketed axe (celt) with one frontal loop. Dimensions: Length - 8.4 cm; Width: 33-46 mm; Weight - 124 g.
- Winged axe. Dimensions: Length - 14.0 cm; Width - 2.5-3.4 cm; Weight - 285 g.
- Adze-axe. Dimensions: Length - 14.8 cm; Width - 2.3-5.0 cm; Weight - 286 g.
- Dagger fragment. Dimensions: Length - 16.5 cm; Blade length - 9.8 cm; Blade width - 2.8 cm; Weight - 81 g.
- Chain formed of four links. Dimensions: Length - 17.1 cm; Link diameter - 3.8; Weight - 32 g.The bronze hoard of Mîndrești is important due to the association of objects that find analogies in the regional repertoire with pieces that show clear analogies in Central Europe and the Carpathian Basin. The assemblage reflects a zone of contact and interaction where metallic forms of different origins and traditions circulated and were integrated into the repertoire of local communities.
Chronologically, the bronze hoard of Mîndrești is attributed to the Early Hallstatt period - HaA1, being dated to 1200-1100 BC.

Virtual Tour

Investigations at the Valley of Mills from the municipality of Chisinau

A team of archaeologists from the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova investigate the place of discovery of fossil skeletons in Chisinau. In the process of reconstruction of the lake from the Valley of Mills in Chisinau, there was discovered skeleton fossils of an animal of Proboscidea order. Preliminary stratigraphic, paleo-geographic and paleontological assessments, allowed to state the hypothesis that the skeleton is belonging to the family of mastodons. Approximate age of discovery has been falling in the interval 5 to 11 million years.

Fossil of skeletal remains were discovered in the sector of Ambulance station of the lake at the Valley of Mills and occupies the area of about 15 X 45 m. They form two large agglomerations located at a distance of 6-7 meters from each other. The study of findings indicate that in this point there were identified bones of a single individual.

Conservation status of bone material can be considered poor. However some of the bones have a satisfactory conservation status. They are mostly intact, retaining its full form. Nearby, at some distance, there were discovered fossil bones from another individual appreciated in advance to be a mastodon or mammoth. Also at the Valley of Mills a third point was identified where bone fossil were discovered, which have been identified as jaw bones and a tooth of a mammoth.

#Exhibit of the Month

The Bronze Hoard of Mîndrești

Investigations at the Valley of Mills from the municipality of Chisinau

#Exhibit of the Month