#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

Virtual Tour

Events Archive

Yearly session of scientific papers of the National Museum of History of Moldova, the 24th edition

October 16th and 17th, 2014

On October 16^th and 17^th, 2014 was held the yearly session of scientific papers of the National Museum of History of Moldova, the 24^th edition. Eighty researches attended the session, among them university professors from Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, France, Romania and sixty two papers were presented in three sections: Archaeology and Ancient History, Medieval and Modern History, Contemporary History and Valorification of museum heritage.

The event was opened by a welcome speech by the general director of the museum, dr. hab. Eugen Sava, followed by greetings by remarkable personalities of science and culture - dr. Ion Gumenîi, dean of History Department of the State University of Moldova, Mihai Ursu, director of the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, dr.hab. Oleg Levițki, director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Sciences and dr. Gheorghe Cojocaru, director of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences.

Two issues of Tyragetia, 2014 were launched as part of the event. Dr. Aurel Zanoci and dr.hab. Elena Ploșnița introduced the journal to the present public pointing out that it is a reference publication which, despite some limitations, presents the results which characterize the valuable contribution of authors in important fields of history, archaeology and museology.

Three papers were presented at the plenary session by Marius Alexianu and Roxana-Gabriela Curcă, Ana Grițco and Lăcrămioara Stratulat. The thematic of the presentations was diverse and focused on problems of Romanian intangible heritage, archaeological research, industrial heritage and World War I deltiology.

In the afternoon of October 16^th and October 17^th the session was held in three sections. The thematic of the papers was complex, interesting by extent and problematic, provoking discussions and debates.

The scientific session of the museum was closed with a session summarizing the results and its success with the most interesting and unusual topics to be published in the museum journal Tyragetia. Also, the concluding session was expressed the hope that the museum will organize the 25^th edition of this prestigious scientific forum next year in October 2015.