The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 BC).
The vessel, with an obviously asymmetrical configuration, is hand-moulded from quality clay paste, having a smooth brown surface with gray spots. The body of the vessel is provided with a pronounced protrusion and a truncated neck with a wider opening towards the mouth. The vessel has a stem and is ornamented with three pairs of symmetrically placed relief appliqués. The height of the bowl is 15.5 cm, the diameter of the mouth is 11.4 cm, the diameter of the body is 15 cm and the diameter of the base is 7.5 cm. Such vessels in the archaeological literature are known as "askos" vessels, the respective term being of ancient Greek origin, denoting one of the primitive containers of the period - the bellows made of animal skin.
In prehistoric times, among some peoples, the bellows was transposed into ceramics, in these cases the basic features of the archaic leather vessel were preserved, acquiring a prominent convex shape with a stem and a flat bottom. From the original appearance of the bellows, the asymmetric mouth corresponding to the animal's neck has been preserved, and sometimes three or four legs, corresponding to the appendages of the flayed skin from the animal's legs. These vessels have lost their original zoomorphic character, entering as a new form in the inventory of Neo-Eneolithic ceramics. The first vessels of this type are attested in Greece, in the early Neolithic (ca. 5000-4500 BC) having the shape of cups or cups. In the Neo-Eneolithic Carpatho-Balkan cultures, the type of Aegean askos of short or tall form, with or without legs and with a handle, is found. Less often, they are provided with two mouths (one for filling and one for emptying) or they are off-center and provided with strangely shaped mouths. In the space between the Carpathians and the Dnieper, only tall forms of simple askos, without zoomorphic elements, are known. Askos-type vessels are present in various prehistoric cultures, especially in Southeast Europe and Anatolia.
Being often discovered in association with cult inventory, askos vessels could be an important indicator of use in religious ritual practices. Along with the zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and rhyton-type vessels (roughly conical container from which, in some ceremonies, liquids were drunk or poured), the askos were included in the category of vessels intended for worship, being related to libations (ritual act that consisted of tasting and then pouring a cup of wine, milk, etc. as homage to the deity).
Schwerpunkt der Tagung sollen diverse Aspekte in der Geschichte des europäischen Barbaricum während der Blütezeit der griechisch-römischen Zivilisation sein. Außerhalb der Parameter die das klassische Altertum definieren, hatte ein Teil des europäischen Kontinents parallel dazu eigene Entwicklungen durchlaufen – inwiefern geprägt durch Impulse aus der griechisch-römischen Welt, wird festzustellen sein. Die komplizierten Prozesse der Latène- Zeit, verursacht durch mehrfache menschliche Mobilitäten sowohl innerhalb dieser Welt, als auch wichtige Interkalationen des Barbaricums mit der griechisch-römischen Welt, haben kulturelle Interferenz erfahren, deren Wahrnehmung streng von der genauen Einstellung der Landmarken chronologisch abhängt. Es war kein Zufall, dass dieser Frage während des gesamten Studienzeitraums zentrale Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet wurde. Abgesehen von den enormen Anstrengungen, die im Laufe der Jahre unternommen wurden und die zu wichtigen Ergebnissen geführt haben, gibt es viele weitere Fragestellungen, die um gelöst zu werden warten und die die Archäologen mit viel Optimismus betrachten.
Die Diversifizierung und Weiterentwicklung gerade der archäometrischen Methoden und Untersuchungen, kurz, der technologische Fortschritt der letzten Jahre hat auch den interdisziplinären Charakter vieler archäologischer Forschungen verstärkt und konnte zur Klärung noch vorhandener Fragestellungen beitragen.
Die geplante Konferenz im Humboldt-Kollegbietet eine hervorragende Gelegenheit zum Austausch zwischen Archäologen, die sich mit der Erforschung der Archäologie des Barbaricums in der Latène-Zeit und der frühen römischen Kaiserzeit befassen.
HUMBOLDT-KOLLEG: CHRONOLOGY IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES
The Chronology of the Pre-Roman Iron Age and early Roman Age in Central and South-East Europe: Problems and Perspectives
Chişinău, 08.-09.11.2018
Organising Committee:
Prof. Dr. Eugen Sava, THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF MOLDOVA
Dr. Vasile Iarmulschi, FREIE UNIVERSITÄT BERLIN / THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF MOLDOVA
Associated Professor Dr. Aurel Zanoci, MOLDOVA STATE UNIVERSITY
Associated Professor Dr. Octavian Munteanu, STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOLDOVA
The topic selected for discussion will approach one of the many, but very important facets of the history of European Barbaricum in the maturation and flourishing period of Greek-Roman civilization. Remained outside the parameters that define classical antiquity, a large part of the European continent, although it has been, in one way or another, in the orbit of the impulses that came from the world of Greek-Roman civilization, nevertheless had its own development paths. Against the background of complicated processes from the La Tène period and the early Roman Age, determined by multiple human mobility within this world and by important intercalations of Barbaricum with the Greco-Roman world, it has experienced the cultural interference which perception is in strict dependence on the exact determination of chronological references. It is not accidental that this question was given central attention throughout the entire study period of the subject. Beyond the enormous efforts that have been made over the centuries, resulted in important findings, there are many other problems that are just waiting for solutions that archaeologists are looking at with much optimism. In this sense, the optimism of researchers comes to be justified by both the diversification of the methods applied in cutting-edge science (based upon the effervescent evolution of technologies) and by the interdisciplinary character of modern studies.
An update and a systematization of the results achieved over recent years, connected to the previous ones, are likely to provide a radiograph of the quality of the situation in the field, defining the momentary problems, but also designing forward-looking solutions.
In this way, the planned conference at Humboldt-Kolleg represents an excellent opportunity for a new round of discussions dedicated to studying Barbaricum archaeology in the La Tène and Early Imperial Roman Ages.
The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 BC)...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.