#Exhibit of the Month

The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown.

A situla (Latin for "bucket") is a metal vessel-usually made of bronze-shaped like a pail and equipped with two movable handles at the top, traditionally used for mixing wine with water. The handles are attached to the vessel via two decorated ears that are welded to the rim.

The body of the situla is truncated-conical in shape and features two decorative bands with small circular patterns formed by hammering, located just below the rim.

Its base is double-layered: the inner bottom is hemispherical and hammered, while the outer bottom is flat and lathe-made. The outer base is welded to the inner bottom, serving as the vessel's foot-support.

This object was crafted using a combination of casting, hammering, and partial lathe-finishing. Dimensions: Maximum height - 31.7 cm; Maximum diameter - 22.8 cm; Base diameter - 13.5 cm

Situlae of this type originated in the Roman Empire and were later adopted by various ancient peoples, including those from the northwestern Pontic region.

Virtual Tour

#Exhibit of the Month

April, 2020

Silver cup

Today we open a new stage in the presentation of collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova by highlighting the #Exhibit of the Month. As soon as we open our doors, you will be able to admire museum pieces that are not known to the general public, but are so valuable that they deserve a special place. For now, we invite you to admire them here.

The #Exhibit of the Month series begins with a wonderful silver cup of the ribbed bowl type, decorated with three bands made by hammering. The first is in the form of palmettes, the second consists of geometric figures, and the third is in the form of ribs. The bottom is concave.

The bowl is considered a drinking vessel. Such pieces were made of different raw materials: clay, glass, non-ferrous metals, but also of noble metals (gold and silver). Produced in the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire, such cups were widely used in a large geographical area, from Greece to Tibet and Central Asia. Noble metal vessels, especially silver ones, which were more numerous, were used by local aristocrats for intended purpose (during feasts), but also as symbols of their wealth. The bowls could be stored in the royal treasury, they could be gifted to various people whom the leaders hoped to influence.

This type of vessels was also copied by jewelers from the local Thracian environment, as evidenced by the presence of similar bowls in various hoards, which belonged to the Thracian-Getae kings. The shape of this bowl demonstrates a special skill, and the manner of production undoubtedly denotes an oriental influence.

Dimensions: diameter - 12.3 cm, height - 5.5 cm, weight - 211 g, fineness - 950%.

The vessel can be dated to the period from the middle of the 6th century to the middle of the 4th century BC.