Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.
The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.
Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The citadel is situated 600-800 m east of Mereșeuca village, Mereșeuca commune, Ocnița district, on a high, isolated hill, on the right bank of the Driver river. The local inhabitants call this headland „Cetățuie.” On the west side, the hill has the aspect of a narrow isthmus, crossed transversally by a flattened earth rampart. The isthmus becomes wider to the east of the wall, forming an ascending slope. One isthmus slope had been scarped at around 100 m away from the wall. Starting with the scarp level a semi-circular wall appears headed towards the south and north-east of the hill. One of the wall extremities ends at the northern steep edge of the hill, while another was probably connected to the scarp. The internal defensive line, repeating the shape of the anterior one, lies at the distance of 40-50 m from the wall and forms a central circular platform with a diameter of 100 m. The fortified surface of the citadel is about 2 ha.
The site was discovered in 1949 by T.S. Passek. The research uncovered four Eneolithic horizons and layers belonging to cultures Černoles, Sântana de Mureș-Černjachov and to the old Russian culture. The wall and ditch from the older cultural deposits had been sectioned in 1984. The ditch intersected the cultural layers going down into the sterile soil to the depth of 3.3-3.5 m. The ditch has a width of 0.8-1.0 m at the bottom and up to 5 m in the upper part.
In the outer part of the wall, as well as in the ditch’s channel, under the black-earth layer, a clay layer was attested provoked by downward erosion from the top hill where it initially lay at the base of the wooden wall built on the top rampart. The wall was probably made of a hull of beams, supported by pillars arranged vertically in pairs. The wall thickness reached around 2 m. The inferior part of the hull, which formed the wall, was filed up with earth, and the upper part formed chambers called strelnițe. Living and household structures built of beams were found in the inferior part of the rampart. It had around 8 m width at the base and 3 m heigh and rose around 6 m above ground together with the wall.
The ceramic and amphorae material discovered during the investigations allows us to dates the citadel to the 12th- 13th centuries. It was deserted and burnt probably by order of Tatar-Mongols at the middle of the 13th century. The closest analogies for Mereșeuca-Cetățuie fortification can be found at Lencăuți (fortress) and at Lomacinți, in northern Bucovina.
It appears that the fortress from Mereșeuca represents the southernmost outpost, an observation citadel of Halici from the right bank of Dniester. We can assume, as a hypothesis, that this citadel corresponds with the town Kucelmin from older Russian chronicles.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Mereșeuca-Cetățuie: 1 - placement of citadel Mereșeuca-Cetățue on the map of Republic of Moldova; 2 – visual plan of fortress (1 - excavations from 1980, 2 - section through the wall and ditch); 3 - placement of the fortress on the topographic map; 4 - fortress Mereșeuca-Cetățuie, view from west. Fig. 2. Mereșeuca-Cetățue. Plan and profile of section through the wall and defensive ditch: 1 - south-east profile; 2 - north-west profile; 3 - agglomeration of stones and remains of grinders, in plan; 4 - plan of section bottom. Fig. 3. Mereșeuca-Cetățuie: 1-4 - Cucuteni-Tripolie ceramics; 5-7 - pieces from Bronze Age. Fig. 4. Mereșeuca-Cetățuie: 1-11 - ceramics from the 12th-13th centuries. Fig. 5. Mereșeuca-Cetățuie: 1-5, 7, 9 - ceramics from the 12th-13th centuries; 6, 8 - amphorae fragments from the 12th-13th centuries.
Иван Власенко
Multi-layered settlement Rudi XX (excavations in 1982)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Иван Власенко
Early medieval bone handles of knives with annular notches as one of the possible signs of ethnic attribution of the Tivertsi
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Иван Власенко, Вячеслав М. Бикбаев
An medieval grave near the village Hîrtopul Mare
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Иван Власенко
The results of archaeological exploration in central and northern regions of the Republic of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Иван Власенко
Late residential compounds of the early medieval settlement Rudi
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM)...
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
