#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

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Publications

Journal „Tyragetia"

vol. X [XXV], nr. 1

Geophysical prospections and archaeological investigations of Late Neolithic - Early Copper Age sites from the Republic of Moldova (2014-2015)

ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

Stanislav Țerna, Thomas Saile, Maciej Dębiec, Martin Posselt

Geophysical prospections and archaeological investigations of Late Neolithic - Early Copper Age sites from the Republic of Moldova (2014-2015)

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică

Keywords: Republic of Moldova, Neolithic, Copper Age, LBK, Precucuteni - Tripolie A, architecture, geophysics.

Abstract: Between 2014-2015, a joint Moldavian-German expedition undertook surface investigations, geophysical prospections and small-scale excavations on several LBK sites from the Republic of Moldova. This fieldwork allowed us to obtain unique data on the internal organization of Neolithic sites from the Prut-Dniester interfluve. The geomagnetic scans led to the identification of long houses, typical for the LBK from Central and Western Eu- rope. Some of these complexes have been checked by small test-trenches. The geophysical plots also included some Copper Age structures overlapping the LBK ones. Thus, we have been able to obtain the first complete geophysical plan of a Precucuteni settlement from the territory of Moldova. The analysis of the data obtained from the field led to a reconsideration of some older conceptions regarding the architecture and internal organization of LBK settlements from the North-Western Black Sea region.

List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Localization of investigated sites on the general map of Neolithic and Early Copper Age settlements from the forest-steppe zone of the Prut-Dniester interfluve (Republic of Moldova). Map legend: black circles - LBK settlements; white circles - Precucuteni settlements; light-grey squares - Criș settlements; dark-grey squares
- Bug-Dniester settlements. 1 - Bilicenii Vechi I; 2 - Sîngerei XIX; 3 - Chișcăreni XIV; 4 - Iezărenii Vechi VII; 5 - Iezărenii Vechi VIII; 6 - Sîngerei XIII; 7 - Nicolaevca V; 8 - Bumbăta III; 9 - Găureni I; 10 - Florești I.
Fig. 2. Sîngerei XIX. Scanned area.
Fig. 3. Sîngerei XIX. Geophysical plot.
Fig. 4. Sîngerei XIX. Distribution of surface finds.
Fig. 5. Sîngerei XIX. 1-34 - pottery.
Fig. 6. Sîngerei XIX. 1-38- pottery.
Fig. 7. Sîngerei XIX. 1-11 - pottery.
Fig. 8. Sîngerei XIX. 1-17 - small finds.
Fig. 9. Small finds from Iezărenii Vechi VII (1), Iezărenii Vechi VIII (2), Bilicenii Vechi I (3-4, 6) and Florești I (5) settlements.
Fig. 10. Chișcăreni XIV. Scanned area and geophysical plot.
Fig. 11. Chișcăreni XIV. Distribution of surface finds.
Fig. 12. Chișcăreni XIV. 1-38 - pottery.
Fig. 13. Chișcăreni XIV. 1-16 - pottery; 17-24 - small finds.
Fig. 14. Nicolaevca V. Geophysical plot and its interpretation.
Fig. 15. Nicolaevca V. Distribution of surface finds.
Fig. 16. Nicolaevca V. 1-12 - pottery; 13-18 - small finds.
Fig. 17. Bumbăta III. Geophysical plot and its interpretation.
Fig. 18. Bumbăta III. Test-trench.
Fig. 19. Bumbăta III. Finds.
Fig. 20. Găureni I. Geophysical plot and its interpretation.
Fig. 21. Găureni I. Test-trench 1.
Fig. 22. Găureni I. Test-trench 2.
Fig. 23. Găureni I. Outlines of archaeological features from test-trenches and the interpretation of the geophysical plot.
Fig. 24. Găureni I. Finds.
Fig. 25. Găureni I. Finds. Fig. 26. Găureni I. Finds.