#Exhibit of the Month

The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency.

The ceramic assemblage consists of a large storage vessel (pithos) with a capacity of 20 litres (h = 39.2 cm; d = 35.0 cm), decorated with a raised band below the rim; a medium-sized bowl with a capacity of 2.5 litres (h = 16.9 cm; d = 23.2 cm); a medium-sized jug with a capacity of 0.6 litres (h = 12.0 cm; d = 13.4 cm); and the base of a jar-shaped vessel.

The coarse handmade pottery was produced using the coil-building technique, by stacking and shaping coils of clay prepared from a paste tempered with crushed fired clay (grog) and sand. The vessel surfaces are uneven and covered with a yellowish-red slip featuring black patches, while the core of the vessel walls is black in colour.

The three vessels preserved intact display well-defined biconical shapes, with their maximum diameter at the middle of the body and straight or slightly oblique rims with rounded edges. Pottery of this type is characteristic of the Early Medieval cultural area of the northern and northwestern Black Sea region, dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries. East of the Dniester River, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, analogous pottery is found in Penkovka-type settlements, while in the Carpathian-Dniester region it is characteristic of settlements belonging to the Costișa-Botoșana-Hansca cultural group.

Within the Prut-Dniester region, coarse biconical pottery is generally represented by fragments and only relatively rarely by complete vessels, such as those discovered at Hansca, Dănceni, Recea, Seliște, Păhărniceni, and other sites. This type of pottery constituted an indispensable component of the local material culture during the 5th-7th centuries. In this context, the discovery at Bălceana of an almost intact set of coarse biconical vessels represents a relatively rare find of considerable scientific importance.

According to certain hypotheses, the tradition of coarse biconical pottery dating to the 5th-7th centuries originated in the North Pontic region. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these biconical ceramic vessels were the result of contemporary ethnocultural interactions, developing simultaneously across the vast territory extending from the Carpathian Mountains to the Dnieper River and the Seversky Donets.

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Exhibitions

„Millennia of civilizations at Orheiul Vechi. 70 years of archaeological research”

21 September 2017 - 31 December 2018

The National Museum of History of Moldova opened on 21 September the exhibition "Millennia of civilization at Orheiul Vechi. 70 years of archaeological research". The event is organized as part of the European Heritage Days.

In 2017 are celebrated 70 years since the beginning of archaeological research in the micro zone of Orheiul Vechi. Center of thousands of years of history, heart and soul of Moldova, the Orheiul Vechi Cultural and Natural Reservation is a unique place where the elements of history and archaeology, ethnography and traditional rural architecture, cult places of worship and unforgettable images of the landscape have merged. The beginning of research at this site conducted by researcher Gh.D. Smirnov date back to postwar years of 1947-1948. Later, at this site worked well-known Moldovan archaeologists I. Niculiță, P. Bârnea, Gh. Postică, T. Reaboi, E. Abâzova, T. Arnăut, O. Munteanu, A. Zanoci etc. For many archaeologists in the Republic of Moldova, the archaeological campaigns in Orheiul Vechi became a visit card for future professional activity.

The originality of the exhibition dedicated to Orheiul Vechi consists in the fact that most of the presented pieces are exhibited for the first time; however they have been long known and studied in the science community.

The exhibition brings together a series of objects belonging to different civilizations that have existed here, being structured in two compartments: the ancient period in Orheiul Vechi and the medieval period.

The first compartment includes archaeological remains discovered on the territory of the Butuceni Getae fortress. They represent various objects from the material culture of the native population, such as clay pots, tools, weapons and cult objects. The commercial relations they had with the Greek merchants are expressed through the many fragments of Greek vessels, various containers for keeping products and everyday vessels. The impressive amount of Greek amphorae of the total ceramic fragments found (about 20%) demonstrates the importance and significance of this Getae fortress for the barbarian world in the given region along with the discovery of the first and only sanctuary - a Getae calendar which confirms the importance of this habitat as a political, social and economic center of the Getae communities in the region.

The second compartment is dedicated to the medieval civilization from Orheiul Vechi. Archaeological research confirmed the urban character of the settlement during the Golden Horde (14th century) and its name - Şehr al-cedid // New Town. The collection of materials includes luxury ceramic pots, a Chinese porcelain bowl, Kashin-type import pots specific for the Golden Horde, aqueduct tubes, bone and metal weapons and tools. The two large warehouses found at Orheiul Vechi are exhibited: one consisting of agricultural pieces and the other of harness parts and household objects. Monetary discovery is represented by local issues associated with coins coming from different states, but also moneyboxes, weights, plates for scales.

The Moldavian period (15th - 16th centuries) is represented by ceramic vessels, agricultural tools and household appliances made of metal, stone, bone and ceramics, as well as weapons, tiles, crosses and candlesticks. A special place in the exhibition belongs to two bronze cannons from the 15th century which are unique pieces for the entire Romanian space.

In the exhibition are displayed also a series of pictures that reflect the process of archaeological research, as well as photographs of the most beautiful artifacts and landscapes of Orheiul Orhei.