#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

Events Archive

Round table on the topic: “Archaeological Investigations of Human Settlements in the Republic of Moldova in 2010”.

4 October 2010

The National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova in collaboration with the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, within the framework of the World Habitat Day, held a round table on the topic: “Archaeological Investigations of Human Settlements in the Republic of Moldova in 2010”. There were presented 5 scientific reports with discussions:

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Book Presentation ”LET’S KNOW EACH OTHER”

23 September 2010

The National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova hosted a presentation of the publication LET’S KNOW EACH OTHER by Constantin Pawljuk, the Chairman of the Association “Kulturverein Moldova e.V” from Germany. The book published in 2009 in Berlin summarizes the 10-year activity of the cultural association, reflecting its contribution to the cultural exchange between the Republic of Moldova and Germany

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European Heritage Days 2010

20 September 2010

Within the framework of the European Heritage Days the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, the State Pedagogical University named after Ion Creanga, and the Centre of Archaeological Research in the Republic of Moldova has hold on September 20 a round table on the topic: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN CHISINAU – THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION OF THE CITY

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11th Numismatic Symposium

4 September 2010

On the 3rd and 4th of September, 2010 at the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova there was carried out the 11th Numismatic Symposium held by the Museum, the Institute of Archaeology “Vasile Parvan” of the Romanian Academy (Bucharest), and the Numismatic Society of the Republic of Moldova. The event was attended by specialists in numismatics and other related sciences (faleristics, heraldry, toreutics) from France, Romania, Ukraine, Germany, and the Republic of Moldova

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Celebration of the International Museum Day

18 May 2010

The International Museum Day was celebrated by a series of events conducted in both the Museum edifice and the courtyard.

From 10.00 before the Museum's closing in different places there were conducted three workshops: "Archaeological Object - an Enigma", "Origami", and "Ikebana", where children and adults could practice their creativity and skills.

In the period of time between 12.00 and 18.00 there were showed the best movies of the International Documentary Film Festival CRONOGRAF-2010, a retrospective of the Museum film library Clio.

Music lovers were invited to an outdoor concert of the Ministry of Defence Orchestra, which included traditional brass band pieces.

At 13.00 there was opened an exhibition "History of Military Headgear". The opening was followed by the demonstration of military exercises with the arms and hand-to-hand fighting showed by the military men from the Guard Battalion and the Special Purpose Battalion of the Ministry of Defence.

During the day in the Museum courtyard there was held the Handicraft Fair „Centuries-Old Crafts in Contemporary Vision", the 2nd Edition, where the visitors could admire (and buy) a variety of authentic items.

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