#Exhibit of the Month

Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.

The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.

Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.

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Exhibitions

"Dănceni archaeological complex: 50 years since the start of field research"

Exhibition dedicated to the International Day of Monuments and Sites

April 17 – May 12, 2024

The National Museum of History of Moldova announces the opening of the thematic exhibition "Dănceni Archaeological Complex: 50 years since the start of field research". The opening of the exhibition will take place on April 17, 2024, at 11:00, second floor.

The exhibition is organized on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the start of archaeological research in the Dănceni I settlement and in the Dănceni II necropolis near Dănceni village, Ialoveni district. The Dănceni I settlement was discovered in 1958 by Isac Rafalovici, the site being attributed to the early medieval culture. Later, in 1964, Valentin Dergacev established that this site also contains a chronological level from the Neolithic period, which was attributed to the Linear Pottery culture, which is a creation of the first farmers in Europe (end of the 6th millennium BC).

The systematic archaeological excavations in the settlement of Dănceni I and the necropolis of Dănceni II were initiated in 1974 in connection with the start of the development works of the huge Dănceni reservoir, these being coordinated by Isak Rafalovici (1974-1976 and 1978), and later by Natalia Golțeva (1979), Olga Larina and Valentin Dergacev (1980).

The researches have shown that the Dănceni I site is pluristratigraphic, including vestiges from the Neolithic period, the Bronze Age, the Early Middle Ages (6th-7th centuries and the 10th-12th centuries) and the Late Middle Ages (15th-17th centuries). Taking into account the impressed surface investigated in this site, of 3254 m2, it can be seen that the settlements attributed to the Neolithic (6th millennium BC) and the early Middle Ages (5th-7th centuries) in this archaeological complex are among the most intensively researched in the Republic of Moldova. Within this site, following archaeological investigations, traces of 23 residential and household constructions from the Neolithic period and the vestiges of over 100 constructions from the early medieval period were identified, and at the same time, an impressive collection of vessels was also obtained ceramics, flint tools, bone, horn, but also a representative archaeozoological material.

On the other hand, it was found that the Dănceni II necropolis is among the largest burial sites known in the Republic of Moldova, where 405 human burials were discovered, the largest part (338) belonging to the Roman period, being attributed to the Sântana culture Mureș-Cerneahov from the III-IV centuries.

The necropolis of Dănceni II is the largest of the necropolises from the Roman period researched in the area between the Dniester and the Prut. Among the materials obtained, in addition to the impressive collection of ceramics, it is worth mentioning metal ornaments (including gold and silver), glass cups and horn combs. One of the most enigmatic objects is a funerary urn decorated with crescent-shaped engravings, swastikas, crosses, rosettes, which, according to one version, would represent an ancient calendar.

In addition to the burials from the Roman period, in the researched area of the necropolis of 8415 m2, funerary complexes from the Bronze Age (Usatovo culture, Catacombs culture, pottery culture with relief belts - Babino) and the Early Iron Age (a Thraco-Scythian horizon).

Early Bronze Age burials of the Usatovo culture (third quarter of the 4th millennium BC) form a compact necropolis with painted pottery, bronze and horn objects. A burial of the Catacomb culture (mid-3rd millennium BC) was accompanied by a hand-moulded bowl with rich decoration. Complexes from the Middle Bronze Age (Babino culture, end of the 3rd millennium - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC) contained three vessels modeled by hand, one of which is decorated with some "mysterious signs".

The burial inventory from the Early Iron Age (6th-5th centuries BC) consists of weapons (spearheads, arrowheads), pieces of harness, tools (knives) and pottery (hand and wheel-shaped pottery), being, without a doubt, a military necropolis. The most recent burial in the necropolis, with ornaments including two large digital fibulae and a bronze bracelet, belongs to a woman and is dated to the early 6th century.