#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

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Events Archive

Book Release: Sava Eugen, „Settlements from Late Bronze Age in the space between Prut and Dniester Rivers” Chișinău, „Bons Offices”, 2014, 492 p.

September 24, 2015

On September 24th, 2015 at the National Museum of History of Moldova was released the book "Așezări din perioada târzie a epocii bronzului în spațiul pruto-nistrean (Noua-Sabatinovka)" (Settlements from Late Bronze Age in the space between Prut and Dniester Rivers), signed by dr. hab. Eugen Sava, general director of the museum, with the contribution of researchers Mariana Sîrbu and Eugen Mistreanu.

Book Release: Sava Eugen, „Settlements from Late Bronze Age in the space between Prut and Dniester Rivers” Chișinău, „Bons Offices”, 2014, 492 p.

The book has four chapters, divided into sub-chapters, which present: Research history of Noua-Sabatinovka-Coslogeni cultural complex settlements, Catalogue of settlements from the space between Prut and Dniester Rivers, Habitat and material culture, the last chapter focusing on periodization and absolute chronology. The book is remarked by graphical quality and well structured content which addresses all aspects of Noua-Sabatinovka cultural communities' habitat. The volume contains an impressive number of maps and illustrations which perfectly complete the information about the settlements, complexes and archaeological objects approached in the book. This monograph is the result of research conducted by dr. hab. Eugen Sava over more than a decade to elucidate a number of aspects referring to the settlements and lifestyle of Noua-Sabatinovka communities. The volume is certainly part of long-awaited publications in the filed and will surely become a "beside book" for many young scholars working on the Late Bronze Age and beyond. The work was published in an edition of 300 copies and is on sale at the kiosk of the National Museum of History of Moldova.

Monograph release took place in the Blue Room of the National Museum of History of Moldova and was moderated by dr. hab. Elena Ploșnița, scientific secretary of the institution. Dr. hab Elena Ploșnița noted the importance of this work and expressed the respect for Mr. Eugen Sava's work, who „manages to combine perfectly administration of the National Museum of History of Moldova with scientific research".

Further spoke dr. hab. Eugen Sava, who made a brief history of the stages of development of the book, the experience gained in working with young researchers Mariana Sîrbu and Eugen Mistreanu. Credit was given to all those who have contributed to the elaboration of the book.

Official referees of the monograph, dr. hab. Ion Niculiță (Chișinău) and dr. Tudor Soroceanu (Berlin) said the book is well structured and documented, urging other researchers to take it as a good example.

Dr. hab. Oleg Levițki, director of Archaeological Center of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, underlined Mr. Sava's personal role in researching the infrastructure of Noua-Sabatinovka settlements, the enormous bibliographical list used in writing the monograph and expressed opinions on the absolute chronology of Noua-Sabatinovka-Coslogeni complex.

The book release event ended with the opening of the exhibition „Settlements from Late Bronze Age in the space between Prut and Dniester Rivers. Achievements and perspectives" organized in collaboration with the National Archaeological Agency.