#Exhibit of the Month

The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown.

A situla (Latin for "bucket") is a metal vessel-usually made of bronze-shaped like a pail and equipped with two movable handles at the top, traditionally used for mixing wine with water. The handles are attached to the vessel via two decorated ears that are welded to the rim.

The body of the situla is truncated-conical in shape and features two decorative bands with small circular patterns formed by hammering, located just below the rim.

Its base is double-layered: the inner bottom is hemispherical and hammered, while the outer bottom is flat and lathe-made. The outer base is welded to the inner bottom, serving as the vessel's foot-support.

This object was crafted using a combination of casting, hammering, and partial lathe-finishing. Dimensions: Maximum height - 31.7 cm; Maximum diameter - 22.8 cm; Base diameter - 13.5 cm

Situlae of this type originated in the Roman Empire and were later adopted by various ancient peoples, including those from the northwestern Pontic region.

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Events Archive

Roundtable „Hansca - archaeological site and excavation site-school. 50 years from the beginning of research"

17 April 2014

On the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites the National Museum of History of Moldova organized a roundtable with the generic „Hansca - archaeological site and excavation site-school. 50 years from the beginning of research", moderated by conf. dr. Ion TENTIUC, head of Archaeology and Old History Sector of the National Museum of History of Moldova.

Within the framework of the event several notorious scholars presented their papers on the named subject: prof., dr. hab. Ion NICULIŢĂ, head of the Scientific research center "Humanistic Research" of the Department of History and Philosophy of SUM; prof., dr. hab. Gheorghe POSTICĂ, Vice-minister of Culture, president of National Archaeological Commission of the Ministry of Culture; dr. hab. Eugen SAVA, general director of the National Museum of History of Moldova; dr. hab. Oleg LEVIŢKI, director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of ASM; assoc. prof., dr. Sergiu MUSTEAŢĂ, dean of the Department of History and Geography of SPU "Ion Creangă"; dr. Vlad VORNIC, general director of the National Archaeological Agency of the Ministry of Culture; dr. Nicolae TELNOV, head of Archaeological Sector of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of ASM.

The papers touched upon various issues related to the importance of the site from Hansca (Ialoveni raion), a site which is considered to be the most representative ancient and medieval monument from the Carpathian-Dniester space with a particular scientific importance, and general problems related to the protection and research of archaeological heritage in the Republic of Moldova.