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.).
A house of the 15th century explored in the fortified settlement of Horodca Mică
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The archaeological investigations at the Getae fortifi ed settlement of Horodca Mică revealed some materials from the medieval period. In the central part of its internal space a one-room dwelling with the fl oor deepened into the ground was found, characterized by two phases of habitat At the fi rst stage it was warmed by a clay oven located in the middle of the east wall, and at the second - by a rounded open hearth located in the central part of the room (fig. 3).
In the filling and on the fl oor of the house, besides rather interesting collection of ceramics, there were found the following objects: an iron knife (fig. 6/5), an sub-rectangular iron buckle (fi g. 6/4), a leaf-shaped arrowhead (fig. 6/2) and a fragment of a whetstone with hanging hole (fi g. 6/1). On the fl oor of the house there was also found a medieval coin (fig. 6/6) issued by Moldavian Prince Iliaș (1432-1443), which was attributed to type V and dated approximately from 1442.
The discovery of the coin makes possible dating the dwelling with the fi rst half of 15th century. Further investigation of the internal space of the Getae fortifi ed settlement will show whether it was an isolated dwelling or it was part of the medieval settlement arranged on the place of an ancient fortress by virtue of the military-political circumstances.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Horodca Mică. 1 - Location of the site of Horodca Mică; 2 - topographic map and the location of the excavations in 2006-2011. Fig. 2. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Plan of section with discoveries within squares A6-A10 and southern profile. Fig. 3. Horodca Mică 2011. Plan and section of the medieval dwelling. Fig. 4. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1, 2 - remains of the medieval dwelling; 3, 4 - remains of the furnace from the dwelling. Fig. 5. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1, 2 - pillar pits inside the dwelling; 3, 4 - carbonized remains of pillars supporting roof; 5, 6 - remains of the hearth discovered in the central part of the dwelling. Fig. 6. Horodca Mică 2011. Section no. VII. Inventory objects from Complex no. 117/Medieval dwelling: 1 - whetstone; 2 - arrow head; 3 - bronze board (overlay-?); 4 - buckle; 5 - knife; 6 - coin (1 - sandstone; 2, 4, 5 - iron; 3 - bronze; 6 - silver). Fig. 7. Horodca Mică 2010. Section no. VI: 1-4 - silver coins discovered in the cultural layer.
Ion Tentiuc
Aspects of funeral rite and ritual in the Prut-Dniester region in the early Middle Ages (The Molești-Ialoveni necropolis)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2007
Ion Tentiuc
Sergiu Matveev, Procesele etno-culturale din spațiul carpato-nistrean în secolele II-XIV. Istoriografia sovietică. Chișinău: Pontos, 2009, 230 p. text + 5 tabele
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Ion Tentiuc
Sergiu Musteață, Populația spațiului pruto-nistrean în secolele VIII-IX. Editura Pontos, Chișinău 2005, 189 p., rezumat în limba engleză, indice, 10 tabele, 7 diagrame, 4 hărți, 78 planșe cu figuri, 12 foto, ISBN 9975-926-43-6
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Octavian Munteanu
Les etapes d’édification de la fortification de Horodca Mică
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Octavian Munteanu
Élements defensifs dans la fortification gete du Horodca Mare, districte Hâncești
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2015
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...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
