#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.).

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

The compartment „Bessarabia in the first half of the 20th century”

(Permanent Exhibition “History and Civilization”)

This department of the exhibition is dedicated to the contemporary period of history and begins with a series of objects reflecting socio-cultural movements of the early 20th century, events of the World War I and the national movement in 1917, which culminated in the creation of the first Bessarabian parliament - the Country Council (Sfatul Tarii) and the unification of Bessarabia with Romania.

The compartment „Bessarabia in the first half of the 20th century”

The main events and persons who led first to the proclamation of independence from Russia on 24 January 1918 and then to unification with Romania on 27 March 1918 are presented in the museum exhibition: photos of Paul Gore, Alexei Mateevici, Nicolai Alexandri - the leaders of national movement in Bessarabia, photo images taken at the demonstrations in Chisinau and Balti in 1917 and a photo of the building where on 21 November of the same year the Country Council began its meetings. All these documents are of particular emotional resonance. The spirit of time is conveyed through the reconstruction of the editorial office of newspaper "Cuvant moldovenesc", an important organ of the national movement in Bessarabia.

The process of integration of the territory between the Prut and Dniester in political, economic, and cultural life of the unified Romania entailed important socio-economic transformations, but especially a large flourishing of culture and education. This is evidenced by the museum collections of photos, documents, books, medals and works of art. Among the most prestigious educational institutions of the time in the exhibition there are presented the "B.P. Hasdeu" Boys' Secondary School, the "Queen Maria" Girls' Secondary School, the "King Ferdinand" Military School, and of course the famous School of Fine Arts led by sculptor Alexander Plamadeala.

Many photos and playbills talk about the prodigious activity of the National Theatre in Bessarabia and highlight some prominent figures of political and cultural life of the interwar period, such as writer and politician Constantin Stere, composer Alexandru Cristea, director of the "Unirea" Conservatory Anastasia Dicescu, internationally renowned soprano Maria Cebotari, singer of opera houses from Vienna, Dresden and Berlin, opera singers Lidia Lipcovschi and Lidia Babici.