#Exhibit of the Month

The grapevine plant, now widespread across the globe, traces its origins back to the Upper Cretaceous geological period, when species of Vitis Linn appeared on Earth (Mesozoic era), followed later by Vitis vinifera L., the latter already classified among cultivated agricultural plants. Most researchers link the origin of the cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) to the wild forest species Vitis sylvestris Gmel. Thickets of Vitis sylvestris Gmel. can still sporadically be found in the groves along the Prut and Dniester floodplains.

During the Precucuteni III - Trypillia A period (ca. 4750-4600 BC), the presence of cultivated grape seeds was clearly documented on pottery from the settlement of Ruseştii Noi I, layer I, kiln A, consisting of a seed impression on a ceramic fragment, with the elongated beak characteristic of the domesticated species Vitis vinifera L. Another seed impression of Vitis vinifera L. was recorded at the settlement of Vărvăreuca VIII, identified on the wall of a painted vessel from the Cucuteni B - Trypillia CI stage (3800-3500/3300 BC).
In October, on the occasion of the National Wine Day, the National Museum of History of Moldova presents to your attention a unique relic in Southeastern Europe. The exhibit originates from the settlement Brînzeni VIII "Sâiece," belonging to the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture and dated to the Cucuteni AB2 - Trypillia B2 phase (ca. 4050-3800 BC), located in Brînzeni village, Edineț district. The site lies 2 km southwest of the locality, in a triangle formed by the confluence of the Racovăț and Drobiște streams and the local road L36 Bădragii Vechi-Brînzeni. Positioned on land 25-30 meters above the valley, it was discovered in 1966 by archaeologist Nicolaie Chetraru and investigated through excavations between 1978-1980 by Vsevolod Marchevici.
The October exhibit is a grapevine leaf impression discovered in 1980. It comes from pit no. 5, partially investigated, with a maximum depth of 155 cm. From the same archaeological complex near dwelling no. 1, several grape seeds were also recovered, as noted in the excavation report. The grapevine leaf impression appears on a coarse clay lump, fired and vitrified due to secondary burning, reddish in color, with an irregular rectangular, flattened shape. The outer surface is uneven and rough. The impression surface is smoothed, with the leaf veins clearly highlighted. Measuring 99 mm in length, 110 mm in width, and 28-31 mm in thickness, the exhibit presents in full splendor an authentic grapevine leaf impression. Some researchers attribute it to the domesticated grapevine Vitis vinifera L., while others, more skeptical, consider it a wild species. Nevertheless, being discovered in a well-documented archaeological context, together with grape seeds near a dwelling, it provides evidence that grapevine was part of Cucuteni community life 6,000 years ago. These findings allow us to affirm that the process of domestication and the creation of table grapes was already underway. The diversity of Cucuteni ceramic forms, as well as the painting on some vessels, undoubtedly suggests their use as containers for various liquids. Accordingly, the emergence of wine among Cucuteni communities can be taken into consideration.

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Exhibitions

“Memory of the War. 1939-1945”

(Permanent Exhibition)

The signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on August 23, 1939, by which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided their spheres of influence in Europe, led to the outbreak of the largest and most devastating conflagration in the millennial history of mankind. World War II claimed the lives of over 55 million people, left millions disabled, orphaned, and widowed, reduced thousands of cities and villages to dust, and caused immeasurable material losses.

Moldova also suffered the harsh trials of war. More than 110,000 Moldavians - civilians and soldiers on the battlefield - died. Hundreds and thousands of villages, residential buildings, industrial complexes, and peasant farms were razed to the ground during bombings and military operations.

From August 20 to 29, 1944, Moldova became the scene of one of the bloodiest military operations of World War II - the Iași-Chișinău Offensive. As a result of the fighting, the territory of Moldova was strewn with graves. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sons of many nations, perished here, driven by the war into foreign lands. In the following period, more than 200,000 Bessarabians were forcibly conscripted into the Soviet Army and sent to fight at the front. Some of them fought their way to Königsberg, Berlin, Korea, and militaristic Japan. More than 50,000 fell on the battlefield, finding their eternal rest in a foreign land.

The exhibition "Memory of the War. 1939-1945" brings together about 280 museum pieces: photographs, documents, military uniforms, weapons, personal belongings of war participants, letters from the front, war trophies, awards, posters of that period, works of art and other artifacts recreating dramatic aspects of the history of World War II.

Historical relics remind us of the self-sacrifice and heroism shown by our fellow citizens in the fight against fascism, for which they received (many posthumously) high military awards (D. Calaraș, I. Coval, Gh. Cernienco, N. Lebedenco, V, Ermurachi, F. Rotari, S. Niculiță, and others).

The life stories of Bessarabian soldiers Gr. Odobescu, V. Ryabov, D. Chiperi, E. Filatov, V. Sikorski, and others symbolize the dramatic destiny of Bessarabia and the many thousands of Bessarabians who, by the will of fate, found themselves in opposing camps, in enemy armies, forced to fight against each other.

The photos recreate an ominous picture of the destruction caused by military actions on the territory of Moldova, in particular, the consequences of the Iași-Chișinău Offensive. The ruins of Chișinău and Bălți, Tiraspol, Iași and Constanța remind us of the horrors of war and the still-unhealed wounds of this massacre.

The intensity and drama of the battles between the Soviet and German armies at the village of Leușeni on the Prut River are depicted on a monumental canvas measuring 11 x 45 meters, with a total area of 500 square meters. This canvas is part of the Diorama created by renowned artists Nikolai Prisekin and Alexei Semenov from the M.B. Grekov Studio of Military Artists in Moscow.

Through the sacrifice, suffering, and deprivation of millions of people, Europe was liberated from fascist occupation, but, unfortunately, it could not be saved from communism. Wherever the Soviet tank entered, so did the Stalinist socio-political system. One totalitarian regime was replaced by another, equally tyrannical and treacherous. The Soviet-style totalitarian regime took control of the countries of Eastern Europe, including the territory between the Prut and Dniester rivers, leaving behind millions of victims of arrests, assassinations, famine, and deportations.

#Exhibit of the Month

Grapevine Leaf Impression

“Memory of the War. 1939-1945”

(Permanent Exhibition)

#Exhibit of the Month