#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

Commemorating 25 years from the beginning of military actions aimed to protect the integrity and independence of the Republic of Moldova

February 28, 2017

The National Museum of History of Moldova in cooperation with the Association of Humanitarian Law held on February 28, a conference commemorating the 25th anniversary from the beginning of military actions for the defence of the integrity and independence of Republic of Moldova (March 2nd, 1992).

Dr. hab. Eugen Sava, general director of the National Museum of History of Moldova, was present at the event with a welcoming speech in which tribute was paid to the persons killed on the battlefield in 1992.

Many personalities directly involved in the armed conflict gave speeches at the event: Major General Anton Gămurari, Brigadier General Vasile Grosu, retired Colonel Andrei Covrig, and retired Colonel Chiril Panteleev. They spoke about lesser known moments related to the causes and beginning of the war.

Valeriu Muravschi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova during 1991-1992, related about political realities of that time and their influence on political decision making. The situation of the population from the conflict zone, including the multiple violations of human rights, was described by the then mayor of the village of Pârâta, Dubăsari District. Assoc. prof. Vitalie Gămurari made a comprehensive analysis of the status of Moldova within the Negotiations Commission. Nicolae Pojoga, accredited journalist in the military zone, commented on a collage of photos made by him during military operations.

In the debates took part Vasile Şoimaru, deputy in the first Moldovan Parliament; Ion Iovcev, director of the Lyceum "Lucian Blaga" in Tiraspol, etc.

At the press briefing held during the conference, the organizers have stressed that the conflict in the eastern districts of Moldova is part of conflicts that erupted in the outskirts of the USSR and was a consequence of a number of internal and external factors. This conflict took the form of a war between the Russian Federation and Moldova. In particular was paid attention to the need to preserve the memory of those who died during military operations and after because of many suffered wounds. The organizers expressed their regret about the lack of a state policy of resolving the political crisis in the eastern districts of Moldova.