#Exhibit of the Month

This clay vessel was discovered in 1982 by archaeologist V. Sorochin during excavations of a burial mound (no. 1) located in the village of Speia, Dubăsari District. It originates from grave no. 5 and is dated to the 4th millennium BC, belonging to the Usatovo culture.
The vessel was found in a child's grave. The burial pit had an oval shape, and the deceased was laid in a crouched position (similar to the fetal posture), on the left side. A total of five vessels were uncovered in this grave: three near the back, one at the feet, and one in the pelvic area.
The cultural attribution of this funerary complex was determined based on the burial rite and grave goods. This culture is characterized by the specific construction of the burial pit, as well as the positioning and orientation of the deceased toward the east and northeast.

The vessel is shaped from clay mixed with finely crushed shell. Its walls curve gradually toward the top, with the widest diameter at the shoulder area. It has a short neck, a slightly flared rim, and a flat base. The surface is carefully polished, in some areas to a lustrous finish. The interior is reddish-brown, while the exterior is yellowish-brown with gray spots. The rim features groups of perforations, three of which are preserved in their original state. The diameter of the holes is 0.35 cm. The space between the groups of perforations is decorated with cord impressions. The transition from the neck to the shoulder is adorned with three horizontal lines made with cord, from which, in five places, three vertical lines descend, each 5 cm long, executed using the same technique. At the time of discovery, these lines were filled with a white paste. The space between the groups of lines is decorated at the top with short vertical lines (0.5 cm long), and in the center with a meander ornament made of two parallel lines impressed with cord. The base of the vessel retains the imprint of a textile.
Vessel dimensions: Height: 22 cm; Rim diameter: 15.7 cm; Maximum diameter: 22 cm; Base diameter: 10 cm.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„Childhood in the Gulag”

The Museum of History and Ethnography of Telenești

31 May – 31 July, 2022

The Museum of Victims of Deportations and Political Repression of MNIM, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, opened on 31 May 2022, the photo-documentary exhibition "Childhood in the Gulag" with the Round Table at the Museum of History and Ethnography in Telenești (Ciprian Porumbescu Street, no. 8, Telenești), with on-site and online participation.

The director of the Museum of History and Ethnography from Telenești, Elena Ilescu, addressed the visitors of the exhibition with a welcoming speech, referring to the importance of knowing the history and memory of the victims produced by the totalitarian-communist regime in the Moldavian SSR among children, especially in the context of today's international events. Dr. Ludmila Cojocaru, head of the Museum of Victims of Deportations and Political Repressions, a branch of the NMHM, presented to the audience the concept and main compartments of the exhibition, recounting from the history of scientific documentation on this photo-documentary exhibition and the novelty of the theme for the field of museography in the Republic of Moldova. The head of the Department of Contemporary History of the Institute of History, Dr. Virgiliu Bîrlădeanu, stressed the importance of the support from European partners in expanding the horizons of historical research in the Republic of Moldova. The schoolteachers and their students present at the opening appreciated the didactic and educational value of this event for the young generation of the Republic of Moldova. The deportees who attended the inauguration found their neighbors and relatives in the images on display.

The exhibition was accompanied by the round table with the participation of history teachers from Telenești district, students of the Alecu Russo State University Bălți and as well as representatives of museographic community from the Republic of Moldova. Of particular interest were subjects related to the circumstances of forced schooling and labor training of children from families of "enemies of the people". The researchers discussed the transgenerational impact of the trauma caused by the totalitarian-communist regime and the need to study it, and museographers reiterated the importance of joining efforts to preserve this historical heritage.

The exhibition brings together about 180 photo-documentary exhibits accompanied by memoirs and archival documents from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, the Edineț Regional Museum, the Museum of the History and Ethnography of Soroca, the Archive of the ProMemoria Institute, archives of local communities of the Republic of Moldova, and, especially, from the family archives of victims of the totalitarian-communist regime in the Moldavian SSR.

The opening of the photo-documentary exhibition "Childhood in the Gulag" at the Museum of History and Ethnography in Telenesti is a tribute to the memory of children who went through the atrocities of the totalitarian communist regime in the USSR, as well as a commemoration of the recent victims among children in the context of the Russian Federation war on the territory of Ukraine.

The photo-documentary exhibition "Childhood in the Gulag" is open to the public from May 31 to June 30, 2022.

The photo-documentary exhibition „Childhood in the Gulag" is realized within the project „Strengthening the European culture of memory by disseminating historical knowledge and promoting democratic values: exchange and implementation of the best practices between Lithuania and the Republic of Moldova" (code VB52-1 ), with the support of The Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.