#Exhibit of the Month

Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.

The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.

Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.

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Exhibitions

“The Warsaw Rising (1944) - a dramatic battle against the German occupation”

February 2-28, 2019

Photodocumentary exhibition "The Warsaw Rising (1944) - a dramatic battle against the German occupation" is organized by The Warsaw Rising Museum in collaboration with the Polish Institute in Bucharest and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Moldova. The exhibition is on display in the upper lobby of the National Museum of History of Moldova and can be visited between 2nd and 28th February, 2019.

Testimonies of the 1944 events in Warsaw are the subject of 20 stands that present to the public documents, photographs and descriptions of the Polish people's efforts to gain freedom.

80 years have passed since the outbreak of the Second World War - the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind, involving almost all European countries along with their colonies, North and South American countries, as well countries in Asia.

The Second World War began on September 1, 1939, with the invasion of Germany over Poland. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union also attacked the Polish territories.
Attacked from the West and East, the country was under occupation. The Polish authorities left the country on the night form September 17 to 18 (their members fled originally in Romania) and continued their activity in emigration.

On September 30, 1939, the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile officially had protested against the attacks on its territory, saying it will never recognize these acts of violence and will not stop fighting for the total liberation of the country from invaders.

Unfortunately, due to a very large number of enemies, the last troops of the Polish Army deploy weapons on October 5. After the September defeat, the foundations of a secret organization set up by the military began to be established in Poland.

Although in different occupied European countries existed more or less numerous secret organizations, only the Poles have created an unprecedented underground state with very developed military and civilian structures.

The Polish underground state was not just a conspiratorial organization, but a continuation of the pre-war statehood. Administrative structures covering the entire pre-war area of the country, including, for example, a secret judicial and educational system were created. There was an underground representation of all the political forces in the country, and the soldiers of the secret Home Army were part of the Polish Armed Forces. The Home Army and the huge desire of the Poles to regain their freedom led to numerous liberation actions against both occupiers.

The main theme of the exhibition presented in Chișinău is the Warsaw Rising (1944), whose 75th anniversary is celebrated in 2019.

It was the largest military rising in the German occupied Europe. The Warsaw Rising began on August 1, 1944, at 5 pm (the so-called "W hour"), with the armed intervention of the Home Army troops.

The rising had Germany as military target and the USSR and Polish Communists subordinated to the Soviets as political target.

The command of Home Army was planning to liberate the capital of Poland without any help before the Red Army would advance, hoping that it would be able to strengthen the international position of the Polish government in exile and stop Stalin's sovietization of Poland.

After the outbreak of the rising, the Red Army stopped its offensive in Warsaw, and the Soviet dictator refused constantly to provide insurgents with more consistent help. The support given to the Poles by the United States and the United Kingdom was limited and did not significantly influence the fate of Warsaw and its inhabitants.

Despite the extremely difficult situation, for 63 days, the low-armed insurgent troops led a solitary battle with the overwhelming German forces, which ended with surrender on October 3, 1944.

During the heroic battles in Warsaw, about 18 thousand insurgents have died and 25 thousand were injured. About 2.3 thousand soldiers from the First Polish Army under the command of General Zygmunt Berling, which was established in the USSR and which tried to help the capital during the rising, have died or disappeared.

The casualties among civilians were huge and amounted to about 180,000 deaths. About 500,000 survivors, residents of Warsaw, were cast out of the city which, after the uprising, was almost completely destroyed. Using dynamite and heavy equipment, German troops destroyed the last remains of the standing buildings during more than three months. The tragic consequences of the Warsaw Rising can be seen in the Polish capital even today.

#Exhibit of the Month

Scythian bronze cauldron from Răscăieții Noi

“The Warsaw Rising (1944) - a dramatic battle against the German occupation”

February 2-28, 2019

#Exhibit of the Month