#Exhibit of the Month

The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency.

The ceramic assemblage consists of a large storage vessel (pithos) with a capacity of 20 litres (h = 39.2 cm; d = 35.0 cm), decorated with a raised band below the rim; a medium-sized bowl with a capacity of 2.5 litres (h = 16.9 cm; d = 23.2 cm); a medium-sized jug with a capacity of 0.6 litres (h = 12.0 cm; d = 13.4 cm); and the base of a jar-shaped vessel.

The coarse handmade pottery was produced using the coil-building technique, by stacking and shaping coils of clay prepared from a paste tempered with crushed fired clay (grog) and sand. The vessel surfaces are uneven and covered with a yellowish-red slip featuring black patches, while the core of the vessel walls is black in colour.

The three vessels preserved intact display well-defined biconical shapes, with their maximum diameter at the middle of the body and straight or slightly oblique rims with rounded edges. Pottery of this type is characteristic of the Early Medieval cultural area of the northern and northwestern Black Sea region, dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries. East of the Dniester River, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, analogous pottery is found in Penkovka-type settlements, while in the Carpathian-Dniester region it is characteristic of settlements belonging to the Costișa-Botoșana-Hansca cultural group.

Within the Prut-Dniester region, coarse biconical pottery is generally represented by fragments and only relatively rarely by complete vessels, such as those discovered at Hansca, Dănceni, Recea, Seliște, Păhărniceni, and other sites. This type of pottery constituted an indispensable component of the local material culture during the 5th-7th centuries. In this context, the discovery at Bălceana of an almost intact set of coarse biconical vessels represents a relatively rare find of considerable scientific importance.

According to certain hypotheses, the tradition of coarse biconical pottery dating to the 5th-7th centuries originated in the North Pontic region. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these biconical ceramic vessels were the result of contemporary ethnocultural interactions, developing simultaneously across the vast territory extending from the Carpathian Mountains to the Dnieper River and the Seversky Donets.

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Events Archive

Book launch: "Romanian lands seen by artists from the West (15th-19th centuries)", edited by Robert Denndorf, album coordinator: Silvia Corlăteanu-Granciuc

January 26, 2023

On 26th of January, The National Musuem of History of Moldova, in collaboration with the Institute of History of the MSU, organized the launch of the work "Romanian lands seen by artists from the West (15th-19th centuries). Album", edited by Robert Denndorf (Germany). The album was coordinated by university professor Dr. Silvia Corlăteanu-Granciuc, the scientific secretary of the Institute of History of the MSU.

Historical scholars, museographers, representatives of the academic and university environment, public institutions, the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Ministry of Culture, the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, civil society were present at the launch event.

Dr. hab. Gheorghe Cojocaru, the director of the Institute of History, one of the forewords of the volume and the moderator of the event emphasized the contribution of Robert Denndorf, through this indisputable historiographical and aesthetic achievement, to the enrichment of the imagistic thesaurus related to the Romanian space for universal culture. "The work we are launching honors us, and it honors us, offering us the opportunity to be with him at a great fulfillment and to bring him all our gratitude and gratitude", revealed Gheorghe Cojocaru.

The General Director of NHMH, dr. hab. Eugen Sava, the host of the event, addressed a message on behalf of the collective of the institution he honorably leads, emphasizing that the release of the German writer's album is an important focus in collaboration not only in the field of national heritage, but also international. Robert Denndorf brought to light some things that were hidden in archives, in libraries, in other museums, and the release of this Album at NMHM can only honor us. Eugen Sava recalled the fact that Robert Denndorf is the oldest friend of the museum, having collaborated both through book launches and through the organization of two exhibitions, one of the last collaborations having as its purpose the donation of seven engravings, which are already included in the funds the museum. For his merits and openness towards the national heritage of the Republic of Moldova, as a sign of gratitude for his significant contribution to the development of the heritage collections of NMHM, Mr. Robert Denndorf was awarded the "Diploma of Honor".

The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Oleg Serebrian, ambassador, scientist and writer, mentioned that he is present at the event more as a historian and former ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Germany. "Mr. Denndorf has a beautiful attribution to our culture and our history, to what the Romanian space means from the Dniester to the Tisa, during the century. XV-XIX, as seen by artists, engravers from the countries of Western Europe.

The Ministry of Culture was represented by Svetlana Pociumban, head of the Cultural Heritage Directorate who emphasized the importance of works of this kind for the entire Romanian society but also for universal culture. Knowing that Robert Denndorf intends to donate to NMHM several engravings and stamps that represent moments in the history of the space between the Prut and Dniester, he promised that the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the competent institutions, will make every effort to contribute to the adjustment of the customs legislation that will allows the unhindered bringing of works of art that wish to become part of the national heritage.

Dr. Silviu Tabac, state herald of the Republic of Moldova, member of the Office of the President of the Republic of Moldova, sent a congratulatory message from the presidential institution, in which President Maia Sandu addressed the author Robert Denndorf with wishes for new achievements in what he does.

Among the speakers, with a Diploma of Gratitude from the National Library of the Republic of Moldova, awarded to Mr. Robert Denndorf, for the free donation of 300 copies of the book about the discovery here, in Tighina, of the Swedish King Charles XII, books that will reach libraries in the Republic of Moldova, was the directorate of the National Library - Elena Pintilei.

On behalf of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, prof. dr. hab Victor Moraru, corresponding member of ASM and vice-president of the scientific forum expressed a word of gratitude addressed to the author Robert Denndorf and the coordinator of the volume Silvia Corlăteanu-Granciuc, underlining the importance for the scientific but also cultural rapprochement between the Republic of Moldova and the entire European space. Academician announced the importance of the volume for research on the history of culture. Andrei Eșanu, reputed specialist in the history of medieval and modern culture.

Dr. hab. Victor Ghilaș, the director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage (ICH) emphasized the need for historical sources, present in the works of Robert Denndorf, for the research carried out within the ICH in the field of art history arts, of music history in particular and in the field of cultural history in general.

The coordinator of the album, associate professor Dr. Silvia Corlăteanu-Granciuc, the scientific secretary of the Institute of History of the MSU, wanted to point out two moments in his intervention, the first: how this album was created and the second: its importance for researchers and for the whole society, emphasizing that capitalizing on the history of the territory between the Prut and the Dniester and across the Dniester substantially leads to the cultural and spiritual rapprochement of the Romanian shores and "all shores" of Europe. Mrs. Corlăteanu-Granciuc emphasized the fact that Robert Denndorf financially covered the appearance of this beautiful and substantial album, an important aspect in the times we live in, and the messages coming from the country's leadership, officials, state institutions but also from society, come as a high appreciation and gratitude addressed to Mr. Denndorf for the effort made, for the enormous love for history and culture and for everything that brings the Republic of Moldova closer to Europe. For his part, the main protagonist of the event, Robert Denndorf, wanted to thank everyone who contributed to the appearance of the album and announced his new future projects aimed at the Romanian space on the right side of the Prut.

The album "Romanian lands seen by artists from the West (15th-19th century)", by Robert Denndorf, represents a history in illustrations of the Romanians in their process of formation and affirmation. The volume includes 1149 images: lithographs, engravings, maps, stamps, images of fortresses, battles, various illustrations of an ethnographic character, everyday life, etc., mostly created by artists from Central and Western Europe and dating from the XV-XIX centuries. The work serves as a source for research in the field of history, in the future, in particular, for those that focus on the representation of¶ the other in the European space.