#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

"Historical Monuments in Pictures"

November 21, 2012 - December 5, 2012

National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova invites the public to visit the temporary exhibition entitled "Historical Monuments in Pictures". The main museum pieces presented in the exhibition are illustrated postcards "accompanied" by a mini-collection of clocks, symbolizing the time, which erases... but also preserves. The aim of the exhibition is to present deltiological images to the visitors and to attract public interest both to the diversity of the historical heritage of the Republic of Moldova and its vulnerability that requires joint efforts to protect and conserve. The exhibition calls for respect for the history and reminds of the danger for some of the monuments, despite their beauty and value.

The exhibition was conceived by the Department of Modern History and includes over 300 objects of deltiology, wall and floor clocks, and postcard albums, in the framework of time from the late 19th century until 2011. The history is reflected in the architecture of churches, monasteries, different social and administrative buildings, etc. The exhibition is divided into two sections:

1. Postcards' Memory: includes vintage postcards with pictures of historical monuments of Bessarabia, including Chisinau, between the late 19th century and 1940s. By means of the postcards visitors will "travel" back in time, admiring the city's central boulevard, architecture of administrative buildings, educational and cultural institutions, places of rest, etc.

2. Historical Monuments Today: presents picture postcards, which reflect a segment of history of the Republic of Moldova since the late 1980s till present. Along with images of old monuments preserved until today, there are exposed images of buildings, which are symbols of the Republic of Moldova: the Presidential Residence, Parliament, Government House, City Hall, etc. A special place occupy picture postcards with art and cultural institutions, monuments and statues, churches and monasteries, museums of natural history in the area between the Prut and Dniester.