The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 BC).
The vessel, with an obviously asymmetrical configuration, is hand-moulded from quality clay paste, having a smooth brown surface with gray spots. The body of the vessel is provided with a pronounced protrusion and a truncated neck with a wider opening towards the mouth. The vessel has a stem and is ornamented with three pairs of symmetrically placed relief appliqués. The height of the bowl is 15.5 cm, the diameter of the mouth is 11.4 cm, the diameter of the body is 15 cm and the diameter of the base is 7.5 cm. Such vessels in the archaeological literature are known as "askos" vessels, the respective term being of ancient Greek origin, denoting one of the primitive containers of the period - the bellows made of animal skin.
In prehistoric times, among some peoples, the bellows was transposed into ceramics, in these cases the basic features of the archaic leather vessel were preserved, acquiring a prominent convex shape with a stem and a flat bottom. From the original appearance of the bellows, the asymmetric mouth corresponding to the animal's neck has been preserved, and sometimes three or four legs, corresponding to the appendages of the flayed skin from the animal's legs. These vessels have lost their original zoomorphic character, entering as a new form in the inventory of Neo-Eneolithic ceramics. The first vessels of this type are attested in Greece, in the early Neolithic (ca. 5000-4500 BC) having the shape of cups or cups. In the Neo-Eneolithic Carpatho-Balkan cultures, the type of Aegean askos of short or tall form, with or without legs and with a handle, is found. Less often, they are provided with two mouths (one for filling and one for emptying) or they are off-center and provided with strangely shaped mouths. In the space between the Carpathians and the Dnieper, only tall forms of simple askos, without zoomorphic elements, are known. Askos-type vessels are present in various prehistoric cultures, especially in Southeast Europe and Anatolia.
Being often discovered in association with cult inventory, askos vessels could be an important indicator of use in religious ritual practices. Along with the zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and rhyton-type vessels (roughly conical container from which, in some ceremonies, liquids were drunk or poured), the askos were included in the category of vessels intended for worship, being related to libations (ritual act that consisted of tasting and then pouring a cup of wine, milk, etc. as homage to the deity).
Archaeological research in the north-eastern part of the Horodca Mare site, Ialoveni district, field season 2008
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The field season 2008 archaeological investigation has been carried out in the north-eastern part of the Horodca Mare site, Ialoveni District, called „La Cetate”. The stratigraphical analysis revealed cultural layers as follows: the antique layer (it is represented by Getic pottery, one piece of Greek amphora, and a fragment of black-lacquered pottery), and the Eneolithic layer (containing artifacts of the Cucuteni-Tripolie Culture). Statistical analysis supports the obtained results. The discovered archaeological artifacts from the site do not indicate any archaeological complexes. The composition of the discoveries is similar to finds from the central part of the settlement, excavated during the field season 2007.
List of illustrations: Tab. 1. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Discoveries statistics. Layer I. A1-A11. Tab. 2. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Discoveries statistics. Layer I. B1-F1. Tab. 3. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Discoveries statistics. Layer II. A1-A11. Tab. 4. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Discoveries statistics. Layer II. B1-F1. Tab. 5. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Discoveries statistics. Layer III. A1-A11. Fig. 1. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer I. A1-A6. Fig. 2. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer I. A7-A11. Fig. 3. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer II. A1-A6. Fig. 4. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer II. A7-A11. Fig. 5. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer III. A1-A6. Fig. 6. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer III. A7-A11. Fig. 7. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Plan and profile. Layer I-II. B1-F1. Fig. 8. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Cucuteni ceramics discovered in section II. Fig. 9. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Ceramics discovered in section II. Fig. 10. Horodca Mare 2008. S II. Inventory pieces (photo): 1 - head of burned flint arrow; 2 - head of flint arrow; 3 - fragment of processed bone; 4 - metal object.
The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 BC)...
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.