The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency.
The ceramic assemblage consists of a large storage vessel (pithos) with a capacity of 20 litres (h = 39.2 cm; d = 35.0 cm), decorated with a raised band below the rim; a medium-sized bowl with a capacity of 2.5 litres (h = 16.9 cm; d = 23.2 cm); a medium-sized jug with a capacity of 0.6 litres (h = 12.0 cm; d = 13.4 cm); and the base of a jar-shaped vessel.
The coarse handmade pottery was produced using the coil-building technique, by stacking and shaping coils of clay prepared from a paste tempered with crushed fired clay (grog) and sand. The vessel surfaces are uneven and covered with a yellowish-red slip featuring black patches, while the core of the vessel walls is black in colour.
The three vessels preserved intact display well-defined biconical shapes, with their maximum diameter at the middle of the body and straight or slightly oblique rims with rounded edges. Pottery of this type is characteristic of the Early Medieval cultural area of the northern and northwestern Black Sea region, dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries. East of the Dniester River, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, analogous pottery is found in Penkovka-type settlements, while in the Carpathian-Dniester region it is characteristic of settlements belonging to the Costișa-Botoșana-Hansca cultural group.
Within the Prut-Dniester region, coarse biconical pottery is generally represented by fragments and only relatively rarely by complete vessels, such as those discovered at Hansca, Dănceni, Recea, Seliște, Păhărniceni, and other sites. This type of pottery constituted an indispensable component of the local material culture during the 5th-7th centuries. In this context, the discovery at Bălceana of an almost intact set of coarse biconical vessels represents a relatively rare find of considerable scientific importance.
According to certain hypotheses, the tradition of coarse biconical pottery dating to the 5th-7th centuries originated in the North Pontic region. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these biconical ceramic vessels were the result of contemporary ethnocultural interactions, developing simultaneously across the vast territory extending from the Carpathian Mountains to the Dnieper River and the Seversky Donets.
Artistic processing of metal in the Dniester-Prut interfluve. Typology of articles made by local jewelers
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Preceding studies on the origin and evolution of jewelry in Moldova have considerably expanded the area of our research, opening up new possibilities for the investigation. The aim of this study is to show the place and role of artistic metalworking techniques in Bessarabia of the 19th century, characterization and determination of the types of objects created using these techniques, and giving some examples, which illustrate them.
It should be noted that the discovery of physical and chemical properties of metals led to the emergence and development of methods of artistic processing of metals, which have evolved over the centuries. Some of them were eventually rarely used and were replaced by complicated professional technologies. Among the most claimed and, therefore, popular methods of metal processing one can name such techniques as casting, engraving, filigree, forg- ing, artistic enameling, etc. List of illustrations: Fig. 1. A. Marco. Bracelet “Memories”. Silver, carnelian. Russian Arts Fund. Fig. 2. Men’s ring. Gold, cubic zirconia. Chișinău Jewelry Factory „Giuvaier”. Fig. 3. Gh. Cojușnean. Signet ring. Silver, smoky quartz. Private collection. Fig. 4. A. Marco. Necklace. Silver, brass, semi-precious stones. Fig. 5. Gh.Cojușnean. Bell tower of the Cathedral of Chisinau. Private collection. Fig. 6. Gh. Cojușnean. Decorative wrought-iron grille. Sketch. Private collection. Fig. 7. Gh. Cojușnean. Jewelry . Collection of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova). Fig. 8. Lantern in the courtyard of the Bocancea Monastery.
Liliana Condraticova
Ion Xenofontov, Războiul din Afghanistan (1979-1989) în memoria participanților din Republica Moldova. Realitatea istorică și imaginarul social. Iași: Lumen, 2010, 544 p.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Liliana Condraticova
L’orfèvrerie ecclésiastique du Bessarabie (1812- 1827)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Liliana Condraticova
L’activité des orfévres de Moldova pendant les années ’70-’80 du XX-ém siécle (l’activité de la Fabrique de Bijoux de Chișinău)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Liliana Condraticova
L’atelier d’orfévrerie du Chisinau dans les 1966-1972 année
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Liliana Condraticova
Archival documents as a source for the research of jewelry for church use
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency...
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.