#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.).

Virtual Tour

#Exhibit of the Month

December 2021

Engraving-document “The Battle of the Prut between the Turks and the Muscovites / The Battle of Stănilești”

A German keen on Romanian history, Robert Denndorf, donated to the museum several cultural goods of special historical and artistic significance. Among them there is the engraving “The Battle of the Prut between the Turks and the Muscovites / The Battle of Stănilești”. The work – with the dimensions: L – 420 mm, 380 mm; W – 350 mm, 300 mm – was executed by the German engraver and publisher of Swiss origin Matthӓus Merian, commissioned by the German historian Iohan Abelin known as the author under the name of Iohan Ludwig Gottfreid. It represents a general overview of the deployment of Turkish and Russian troops on the banks of the Prut, near Stănilești, before the beginning of the Battle of Stănilești (Vaslui County). In the center is the Prut River, in the upper part of the river being placed the Ottoman army and in the lower part – that of Russia, supported by the troops of Dimitrie Cantemir (Principality of Moldavia). By means of various symbols on the engraving certain actions and things are indicated and numbered, without decipherments and explanations. At the bottom of the engraving, in the center, in a frame, there is the title of the work in German: “Action bey der Prutt zwijehen denen Turcken und Mofcowiten”. The engraving was first published in 1715 in the historical journal “Theatrum Europaeum” founded by Mattthӓus Merian and issued in German between 1633 and 1738. Later, it was reproduced in 1673 in the book in Italian “Colonna Traiana – Eretta Dal Senato, E. Popolo Romano All, imperatore Traiano Augusto Nel Suo Foro in Roma” [“Trajan's Column, erected by the Senate and the Roman people to Emperor Trajan in his forum in Rome”]. The volume also included an exposition in Latin by Alfonso Ciaccone. As a result of the Battle of Stănilești, the Phanariotes regime was established in Moldavia in 1711, and in Wallachia in 1716. Dimitrie Cantemir settled in Russia.

The engraving-document “The Battle of the Prut between the Turks and the Muscovites / The Battle of Stănilești” is one of the first images in the medieval history of Romania, depicting the historical event of the early 18^th century – the Battle of Stănilești, which had important consequences for Moldavia and Wallachia. There are no images on this topic by Romanian authors of the 18^th century. The only depictions known to date are by Western artists.

The engraving has a remarkable artistic and historical value and is classified as a piece of movable cultural heritage in the Treasure category.