#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

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

Coins issued by Stephen the Great (1457-1504)

Investigations at the Valley of Mills from the municipality of Chisinau

#Exhibit of the Month