#Exhibit of the Month

The exhibited necklace of beads originates from Funerary Complex No. 6 of Kurgan No. 4, excavated in 1982 by Dr. Habil. Eugen SAVA near the town of Taraclia. The beads were found in the chest area of the deceased, indicating that they had been worn as a necklace and had remained in their original position within the funerary assemblage.
The necklace consists of 11 elements made entirely of Egyptian faience. Eight of the beads are spherical and decorated with vertical incisions forming between 14 and 21 raised ribs. Their diameters range from 13 to 20 mm. Two additional elements are scarab representations measuring 23.5 × 19.5 mm, while the final component is a flattened cylindrical pendant bead featuring a central vertical groove and measuring 22 × 9 mm. The objects range in color from light blue to dark blue and violet hues, reflecting the natural deterioration and glaze variations characteristic of Egyptian faience.
Egyptian faience is an artificial quartz-based material coated with an alkaline glaze, typically blue or blue-green in color. It was widely used in Ancient Egypt and later spread throughout the Mediterranean and Pontic regions through trade networks. During the first centuries AD, such objects served as important indicators of cultural and economic contacts between the Mediterranean world and the communities of the North Pontic region.
Owing to its typological, technological, and symbolic characteristics, the Taraclia necklace is an exceptionally valuable artifact for the study of intercultural relations, the circulation of prestige goods, and the funerary practices of the Sarmatian communities during the first centuries AD (1st-2nd centuries AD).

Virtual Tour

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.