#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.).

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Exhibitions

"Metallurgy – from Magic to Industry"

September 26, 2024 - September 26, 2025

As part of the European Heritage Days, the exhibition "Metallurgy - from Magic to Industry" will be held, exploring the fascinating evolution of metalworking from rudimentary practices to mass casting, which fundamentally changed the way society managed and used metals. Chronologically, the exhibition presents metal processing from the Eneolithic period to the late Middle Ages, starting with the creation of modest copper objects to the rise of mass production and the emergence of local craft centers specializing in ore reduction and metalworking.

At first, individuals who mastered the techniques of identifying, reducing, and processing metals were regarded as true magicians. The first objects made from native copper were not intended for practical use but held great aesthetic and symbolic value. The discovery that metals could be extracted from ore through heating and shaped by melting and casting was a significant leap forward in the development of metallurgy and the quality of life in human communities. Mass metal casting was used to create tools, weapons, jewelry, harness elements, decorations, and more.
The invention and practice of metallurgy represent one of the most important innovations in human history, bringing about major changes in virtually every human activity. The collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova contain an impressive number of metal objects discovered in settlements, graves, hoards, and accidental finds. Many metal pieces have become chronological benchmarks for cultural contexts in prehistory, antiquity, and the Middle Ages.

The exhibition "Metallurgy - from Magic to Industry" aims to recreate the stages of development of this craft through metal artifacts held by the National Museum of History of Moldova, as well as reconstructions to offer the general public a better understanding of the level of metallurgy practice during different historical periods and its significance for the material culture of the communities that inhabited this area. The exhibition seeks to illustrate how knowledge and skills developed over time, transforming metallurgy from a magical domain into a pillar of progress.

The exhibition "Metallurgy - from Magic to Industry" can be visited from September 26, 2024, at 3:00 PM, at the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chișinău, 31 August 1989 Street, No. 121 A.