#Exhibit of the Month

This clay vessel was discovered in 1982 by archaeologist V. Sorochin during excavations of a burial mound (no. 1) located in the village of Speia, Dubăsari District. It originates from grave no. 5 and is dated to the 4th millennium BC, belonging to the Usatovo culture.
The vessel was found in a child's grave. The burial pit had an oval shape, and the deceased was laid in a crouched position (similar to the fetal posture), on the left side. A total of five vessels were uncovered in this grave: three near the back, one at the feet, and one in the pelvic area.
The cultural attribution of this funerary complex was determined based on the burial rite and grave goods. This culture is characterized by the specific construction of the burial pit, as well as the positioning and orientation of the deceased toward the east and northeast.

The vessel is shaped from clay mixed with finely crushed shell. Its walls curve gradually toward the top, with the widest diameter at the shoulder area. It has a short neck, a slightly flared rim, and a flat base. The surface is carefully polished, in some areas to a lustrous finish. The interior is reddish-brown, while the exterior is yellowish-brown with gray spots. The rim features groups of perforations, three of which are preserved in their original state. The diameter of the holes is 0.35 cm. The space between the groups of perforations is decorated with cord impressions. The transition from the neck to the shoulder is adorned with three horizontal lines made with cord, from which, in five places, three vertical lines descend, each 5 cm long, executed using the same technique. At the time of discovery, these lines were filled with a white paste. The space between the groups of lines is decorated at the top with short vertical lines (0.5 cm long), and in the center with a meander ornament made of two parallel lines impressed with cord. The base of the vessel retains the imprint of a textile.
Vessel dimensions: Height: 22 cm; Rim diameter: 15.7 cm; Maximum diameter: 22 cm; Base diameter: 10 cm.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„War and Humanitarian Action: the Lessons of History”

From the International Committee of the Red Cross Photo Archives, the TASS News Agency, the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia, and The National Museum of History of Moldova

14 September 2017 – 28 January 2018

The National Museum of History of Moldova and the Interregional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Moscow (for the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Moldova) are organizing the exhibition "War and Humanitarian Action: the Lessons of History" from 14 September to 14 October 2017.

The exhibition reflects the special work carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross to help those in distress from the beginning to World War Two. Those over 50 photographic images taken from the archives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the TASS news agency, the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia and the National Museum of History of Moldova, are documentary testimonies of tragic moments that marked the history of the 19th and 20th centuries: Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Hispanic-American War of 1898, World War One, Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922, World War Two. The photographs included in the exhibition show not only the cruelty, the brutality, the pain and the suffering - parts inherent to any war - but, in particular, examples of authentic humanitarian, condescending, compassionate and sacrificial actions shown by the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Russian and Soviet Red Cross, the Red Cross in Bessarabia, the volunteers of the entire Red Cross Movement to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable people.

The central idea of the exhibition is that the criminal code of war often left the place for the human code during military conflicts. Beyond hate, violence and death, many testimonies make us discover that it always existed to a greater or lesser extent compassion, help, mercy, and pacifism.

The opening of the exhibition took place on September 14, 2017, at 15:00, on the ground floor of the National Museum of History of Moldova.