#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.

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Exhibitions

„Bone Processing Art from Prehistoric Times to the Pre-Modern Period”

10-30 November 2011

In ancient times, large quantities of raw material obtained owing to cattle-breeding and hunting favored the development of bone and horn processing. This work has evolved from a simple home occupation to a true art, the pieces of which are made with great thoroughness, skill, aesthetic sense and artistic taste. Being easy to process, bone and horn provided a greater freedom of expression allowing the creation of an impressive range of objects by use of multiple techniques, such as cutting, polishing, engraving, etc. Paleolithic and Neo-Eneolithic sites of Trinca, Butești, Cosăuți, and Brânzeni, settlements and necropolises of Trifăuți, Săcărăuca, Dănceni, Ruseștii Noi, Costești, Vulcănești, Giurgiulești, etc., as well as the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, and Middle Ages sites, offer the largest range of materials and pieces of art and jewelry, exotic objects of rare beauty and diversity.

The exhibition „Bone Processing Art from Prehistoric Times to the Pre-Modern Period" brings together the most representative artifacts - tools and objects of bone, horn, and boars' tusks found as a result of archaeological investigations during the second half of the 20th - early 21st centuries in the sites, settlements, and necropolises in Prut-Dniester area, dated from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. These can be classified as working tools, weapons, pieces of art or jewelry.

In the category of bone tools, the most commonly found there are awls of various sizes, needles, decorated chisels and daggers. Among the horn objects there are parts of agricultural and household tools and weapons. Pieces of art and jewelry take a special place in the exhibition - anthropomorphic pendants of bone, plaques, buttons, beads, and other objects reflect the artistic and aesthetic tastes of the natives.

#Exhibit of the Month

The Bronze Hoard of Mîndrești

„Bone Processing Art from Prehistoric Times to the Pre-Modern Period”

10-30 November 2011

#Exhibit of the Month