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.).
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The article uses a rather large number of sources concerning Armenian resettlement center in Kiliya (Danube Delta, in the Bessarabian historic district of Budjak). Most of them are presented by Armenian epitaphs, in total twelve ones, dated to 1646-1765 years. Twelve tombstones, carrying them, were located inside the church of St. Nicholas in Kiliya and possibly in its environment as well. Five of them, together with epitaphs are preserved to our times: three in the church garden and two in the Kiliya museum. Three of these five tombstones were discovered recently, and their epitaphs are new-found sources. Two others had been published earlier. The remaining seven tombstones and there epitaphs are known only from various publications.
The analysis of these twelve epitaphs reveals that the persons, mentioned in them, in their vast majority were the representatives of the second or third generation of the Armenians, who migrated here from various places of His- torical Armenia, and even, perhaps, from Persia in the early decades of the XVII century. So they had no relation to the old Armenian inhabitants of Kiliya, settled here earlier – in the course of the XI-XV centuries. The sources come to prove that the last ones had a church of St. Virgin (now the location is unknown), which existed up to the very beginning of the XIX century.
So we have to admit that the newly arrived Armenians made burials in the church of St. Nicholas and round it right after its construction in 1648 by the Moldavian ruler Vasile Lupu and, presumably, until their leaving for Grigoriopol in 1792. The epitaph dated 1646 suggests a burial made even during the construction of the church. The said indicates a direct relation of the last to the newly arrived Armenians and finds confirmation in N. Kleeman’s information (the 60-s of the XVIII century) that the Armenians had two churches in Kiliya.
List of illustrations: Table 1. Previously published Armenian inscriptions, relating to Кiliya. Table 2. Armenian epitaphs of the preserved tombstones. Photo 1. Marble tombstone with the inscription, dated to 1749. Was found in the churchyard of St. Nicholas on the north side. Photo 2. Marble tombstone with the epitaph in three verses. Historical museum of Kiliya district. Photo 3. The third verse, carved on the butt end of the plate. Photo 4. Marble gravestone with an epitaph in four verses. Carved decoration of the horizontal surface. Historical museum of Kiliya district. Photo 5. Marble tombstone with the inscription in four verses. Historical museum of Kiliya district. Photo 6. Marble tombstone with the epitaph, dated to 1755. Located east of the church of St. Nicholas, in the garden. Photo 7. Tombstone with the inscription, dated to 1653. Located east of the church of St. Nicholas, in the garden. Photo 8. Marble tombstones in the environment of the church of St. Nicholas, used as doorstep stones.
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
