#Exhibit of the Month

Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.

The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.

Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.

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Inauguration of the exhibition "Invisible tragedy. The Holocaust of Roma women "on the Bug" (1942-1944): deportation, humiliation, starvation, contamination, extermination"

August 2, 2023

The drama of Roma women in the Holocaust in 1942-1944 is presented in unique exhibition for Moldova, between 2 and 23 August, at the National History Museum of Moldova. The exhibition, a premier for the Republic of Moldova, presents photo-documentary testimonies of the drama of deported Roma women, exterminated during the Second World War in the concentration camps located on the territory between the Dniester and the Bug rivers. At the same time, the exhibition pays tribute to all the victims of Roma ethnicity, stressing the dangers posed by war and the need to combat all forms of discrimination and hate.

The commitment of the Republic of Moldova to promote the memory of the Holocaust and the culture of tolerance in order to combat racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance was reconfirmed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Ana Varzari.

Laura Hruby, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United States to Moldova, spoke about the effort to counteract any form of discrimination, including against Ukrainian refugees who flee the deliberate war provoked by Russia. She emphasized the need to avoid attempts to justify the Holocaust.

Between 1942 and 1944, some 25,000 Roma from Romania, including 2123 sedentary Roma from Basarabia, were deported and exterminated in concentration camps located between the Dniester and the Bug.

For the first time in Moldova, the Roma Holocaust is commemorated from the perspective of women, said UN Women Moldova Country Representative Dominika Stojanoska. She reiterated the need for continued support for Roma women who are still subject to discrimination based on gender and ethnicity.

In 2015, the European Parliament, through a special Resolution, proclaimed August 2 as the European Day of Commemoration of the Holocaust against the Roma. On July 22, 2016, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova voted "Declaration regarding the acceptance of the Final Report of the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, chaired by Elie Wiesel", and later the Government approved an Action Plan with which the Republic of Moldova fully committed to the efforts of the international community to study the Holocaust and to commemorate its victims: the Jews and the Roma.

There is only one way to free ourselves of inter-ethnic hatred - mutual respect, said Dmitri Moruz, the Director of Inter-Ethnic Relations Agency, who expressed the hope that next year Roma Holocaust Day will be commemorated at a monument that would be built in memory of the Roma.

Researcher Ion Duminica mentioned that the exhibition "The Invisible Tragedy. The Holocaust of Roma Women "on the Bug" (1942-1944): deportation, humiliation, starvation, contamination, extermination" - presents photographs accompanied by memoirs and archival documents that reflect the period of deportations and inhumane treatment of Roma women during 1941 -1944. According to him, it is more relevant than ever to learn not only the glorious side of the war, but the tragedy that any war brings to people. "In order for the Holocaust to never repeat itself, we must know what it was", said Dr. Ion Duminica.

The exhibition "Invisible tragedy. The Roma Women's Holocaust "on the Bug" (1942-1944): deportation, humiliation, starvation, contamination, extermination", is organized by UN Women in collaboration with the "Voice of the Roma" Coalition, the Roma Women's Platform "ROMNI", the National History Museum of Moldova, with the financial support of the United States Government.

The exhibition will be located on the fence of the National Museum of History of Moldova and will be open to the general public until August 23, 2023. The exhibition "Invisible Tragedy. The Holocaust of Roma women "on the Bug" (1942-1944): deportation, humiliation, starvation, contamination, extermination" is organized by UN Women, in collaboration with the "Voice of the Roma" Coalition, the National Museum of History of Moldova and the financial support of the Government of the States United.