#Exhibit of the Month

The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown.

A situla (Latin for "bucket") is a metal vessel-usually made of bronze-shaped like a pail and equipped with two movable handles at the top, traditionally used for mixing wine with water. The handles are attached to the vessel via two decorated ears that are welded to the rim.

The body of the situla is truncated-conical in shape and features two decorative bands with small circular patterns formed by hammering, located just below the rim.

Its base is double-layered: the inner bottom is hemispherical and hammered, while the outer bottom is flat and lathe-made. The outer base is welded to the inner bottom, serving as the vessel's foot-support.

This object was crafted using a combination of casting, hammering, and partial lathe-finishing. Dimensions: Maximum height - 31.7 cm; Maximum diameter - 22.8 cm; Base diameter - 13.5 cm

Situlae of this type originated in the Roman Empire and were later adopted by various ancient peoples, including those from the northwestern Pontic region.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

“In reward for the merits...
State awards of the Republic of Moldova to the 30th anniversary”

July 28 – August 25, 2022

On July 30, 1992, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted Law no. 1123-XII On the state insignia of the Republic of Moldova, through which the first own awards of the young state involved in an unjust war for the defense of its political independence and territorial integrity were introduced. Following the minimalist concept, also due to the relevance of awarding the heroes of the Dniester battles, the legislative act initially provided for only two orders ("Order of the Republic" and "Stephen the Great"), four medals ("For Military Merit", "For Valor" "Civil Merit", "Mihai Eminescu") and three honorary titles ("Meșter-Faur", "Master of Literature", "Master of Arts"). Their author and artist is Simion Odainic. The source of inspiration for the first batch of awards was the extensive system of awards of the USSR, part of which were the honorary titles of the Moldavian SSR. The second source, especially regarding the names of some awards, was the elegant insignia system of the Kingdom of Romania.

Later, due to practical needs, by supplementing the law five more orders were instituted ("Labor Glory", 1994; "Gratitude of the Motherland", 1994; "Order of Honor", 2002; "Faith to the Motherland", with three grades, 2004; "Bogdan the Founder", 2008), as well as a cross ("International Missions Cross", 2017), a medal ("Nicolae Testemițanu", 2003) and four honorary titles ("Om Emeritus", 1994; "People's Artist", 2008; "Honored Artist", 2008; "Honored Creative Team", 2008). Besides Simion Odainic, other members of the National Heraldry Commission under the President of the Republic of Moldova also contributed to the elaboration of the phaleristic and artistic concept of the new awards. Also, during the three decades of existence of the state, several commemorative state awards were instituted, especially of a military nature.

The law on state awards of 1992, which remains in force to this day, formed the basis of the phaleristic field in the Republic of Moldova, determined the directions of its development and gave the occasion for this exhibition. It brings to the attention of visitors phaleristic pieces from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, of the Heraldry Cabinet of the Office of the President of the Republic of Moldova, as well as from several private collections. The leading place is occupied by photographs taken by Oleg Chebotarev, Iurie Foca and Dmitry Gonchar.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on July 28, 2022, at 2:00 p.m., in the upstairs hall of the MNIM (31 August 1989 street, nr. 121 A).