#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century.
The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques.
The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.

Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.

On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.

The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.

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Events Archive

Annual Scientific Conference “History — Archaeology — Museology”, 35th Edition

October 23-24, 2025

On October 23-24, 2025, the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the 35th edition of the annual scientific conference with international participation, "History - Archaeology - Museology," organized in a hybrid format - both in-person and online.

The event brought together researchers from 11 countries - Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Serbia, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania - representing various scientific fields: archaeology, history, museology, ethnology, linguistics, and political science.

The conference program included 139 researchers presenting 115 scientific papers. During the event, 104 papers (90%) were delivered, of which 79 (76%) were presented in person and 25 (24%) online. The conference showcased recent research findings, identified new directions for scientific inquiry, and fostered opportunities for collaboration between specialized institutions from Moldova and abroad.

During the plenary session, the new volume of the journal Tyragetia, Vol. XIX [XXXIV], 2, 2025, was launched, featuring 37 studies, articles, and reviews, along with the monograph by Dr. Mariana Sîrbu, Late Bronze Age between the Carpathians and the Sea of Azov. Materiality in Noua-Sabatinovka-Coslogeni Settlements, published in the Tyragetia Library series, Vol. XLII, Chișinău, 2025.

Two scientific papers were also presented in this session, highlighting the latest archaeological discoveries and innovative methodological approaches in the field of museology.

The conference was organized within the framework of the national subprogram: Museum Historical-Archaeological Heritage: Systematization and Scientific-Cultural Valorization (Code: 180101), implemented by the National Museum of History of Moldova with financial support from the Ministry of Education and Research.

Participants included representatives from academic, university, and museum institutions from Moldova (60%) and abroad (40%). The presentations stood out for their thematic diversity and interdisciplinary approaches, as well as for showcasing unpublished archival materials, archaeological, numismatic, and ethnological discoveries, accompanied by graphic illustrations, photographs, and video materials.

The most valuable papers presented at the conference will be published in the journal Tyragetia, edited by the National Museum of History of Moldova.