#Exhibit of the Month

The bronze hoard was discovered on the territory of Mîndrești village, Telenești district, in 1968. It was identified accidentally by a group of students from the village school, and the materials later came to the attention of specialists at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences. According to documentary records, the hoard was composed of ten pieces: four socketed axes (celts), a dagger fragment, a sword fragment, a sickle, a winged axe, an adze-axe, and a chain consisting of four links.
Currently, of the mentioned assemblage, six objects are preserved in the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova: two socketed axes (celts), the winged axe, the adze-axe, the dagger fragment, and the chain made of four links.- Socketed axe (celt) with one loop. Dimensions: Length - 10.2 cm; Weight - 186 g.
- Socketed axe (celt) with one frontal loop. Dimensions: Length - 8.4 cm; Width: 33-46 mm; Weight - 124 g.
- Winged axe. Dimensions: Length - 14.0 cm; Width - 2.5-3.4 cm; Weight - 285 g.
- Adze-axe. Dimensions: Length - 14.8 cm; Width - 2.3-5.0 cm; Weight - 286 g.
- Dagger fragment. Dimensions: Length - 16.5 cm; Blade length - 9.8 cm; Blade width - 2.8 cm; Weight - 81 g.
- Chain formed of four links. Dimensions: Length - 17.1 cm; Link diameter - 3.8; Weight - 32 g.The bronze hoard of Mîndrești is important due to the association of objects that find analogies in the regional repertoire with pieces that show clear analogies in Central Europe and the Carpathian Basin. The assemblage reflects a zone of contact and interaction where metallic forms of different origins and traditions circulated and were integrated into the repertoire of local communities.
Chronologically, the bronze hoard of Mîndrești is attributed to the Early Hallstatt period - HaA1, being dated to 1200-1100 BC.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

“Pious and Hardworking People…” (German Colonists in Bessarabia)

October 12 – December 1, 2010

The thematic exhibition “Pious and Hardworking People…” (German Colonists in Bessarabia) is organized by Moldova-Institut Leipzig and National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova in collaboration with National Archives of the Republic of Moldova and National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History and sponsored by the German Embassy in the Republic of Moldova. It is presented by Ute Schmidt, PhD in historical sciences from Freie Universitat (Berlin).

The exhibition is dedicated to German colonists in Bessarabia during the period of 1813 – 1940.

It is divided into two parts. The first part consists of photographs and documents and reflects stages of colonization of the south part of Bessarabia, foundation of the first German villages in Bessarabia (Hoffnungstal, Friedenstal, Alexanderfeld), and the role of the Guardianship Committee for Colonists in Southern Russia (created in 1818) in the process of colonization. Thematic compartments of the part illustrate the life of a German village in the southern Bessarabia, the colonists’ occupations including agriculture, trade and crafts, spiritual life and education: religion, school, ethics, interethnic relations, and world outlook.

The second part of the exhibition consisting of the authentic items (books, documents, photographs, personal belongings) reminds the contemporaries of some persons from the German community from Chisinau in the modern time. In the 19th century in Chisinau there was a German community that numbered about 1000 people who managed to create a cultural association. The items exhibited in this part reflect certain aspects of the life and work of Carl Schmidt, the Chisinau mayor during 1877 – 1903, and Franz Ostermann, the first custodian and taxidermist of the Zemstvo Museum (1889 – 1905).

#Exhibit of the Month

The Bronze Hoard of Mîndrești

“Pious and Hardworking People…” (German Colonists in Bessarabia)

October 12 – December 1, 2010

#Exhibit of the Month