The exhibit represents a fragment from a unique amphora discovered in 1988 in a ceramic kiln from the Chirileni III settlement (Sîngerei district), attributed to the Cucuteni-Tripolie archaeological culture stage CII (5th-4th millennia BC).
The ceramic fragment with painted human and geometric representations constitutes about 50% of the upper part of an amphora, made of clay paste without impurities. It is burned in an oxidizing environment, with a reddish color in the section. The inner surface of the vessel is covered with a pink-whitish color layer, and the smoothed and polished exterior is covered with a yellowish-gray engobe start. The body of the amphora is spheroidal with four pyramidal cakes on the shoulder, and the neck is high frustoconical with a short outwardly turned lip. The dimensions of the bowl: lip diameter - 18 cm; maximum body diameter - 43-45 cm; neck height - 13 cm; height of exposed fragment - 43 cm; the estimated total height of the vessel is 55-60 cm. Thickness at the lip - 6-7 mm, at the neck - 9-11 mm, and at the body - 10-13 mm.
The outer surface of the amphora in a proportion of about 4/5, except for the lower part, is bicolorly decorated with black and brown paint, the brush being used as a tool, which can be felt from the specific application of the lines. Two brushes were most likely used. The ornament is divided into three horizontal registers that surround the vessel dividing the interior into metopes. The decoration is composed of lines arranged vertically, horizontally or obliquely forming geometric compositions of the net type.
The special significance of the amphora resides in the representation in the middle register of the painting of the stylized scene of a female ritual dance. The scene painted on the body of the amphora represents the image of a group made up of 9 female characters assisted by two dogs and 3 snakes. The female images are represented schematically, with the emphasis on long legs, mini-trapezoidal skirts, short stretched bodies, folded dancing hands and pointed heads.
Vessels with painted anthropomorphic representations are very rare, being around 140 images of this kind known so far in the entire area of spread of the Cucuteni-Tripoli culture.
Based on the analysis of the shape of the vessel, the specific decoration and the context of the discovery, it can be admitted that the amphora from Chirileni belongs to the cult of the Mother Woman, the Great Goddess worshiped by the Eneolithic populations.
Materials for the study of Bessarabian fortresses of 1807-1820s
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Keywords: Moldova, Bessarabia, 1807-1820, fortress, military engineer A.I. Martos, reconstruction.
Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis and publication of materials on the state of the fortresses of Bessarabia dated 1810s-1820s, in particular half-forgotten article of Alexey Martos "Some military remarks on Bessarabia" (1816). It was concluded that from 1806 and 1809, after the capture by Russian troops, the repair and reconstruction of the main fortresses of the region have been initiated almost immediately, at first secretly. It was a significant amount of work, which, however, did not reach its goal, since all the fortresses during the 19th century were disarmed or destroyed: Khotyn (1856), Bender (1897), Akkerman (1932), Kiliya (1856), Izmail (1856).
Игорь Сапожников
Lower Dniester defensive wall (Serpent’s Wall) as part of the limes of the Roman Empire: cartographic and archaeological research
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIV [XXIX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2020
Игорь Сапожников
Simeon’s cave monastery near the Rogi village on the Dniester river
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Игорь Сапожников, Майя Кашуба
(“Royal Tomb” of the necropolis of Tyras, discovered in 1895: documental evidence of the Imperial Archaeological Commission Archives and cartography data
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVI [XXXI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică, Chişinău, 2022
Игорь Сапожников, Майя Кашуба
“We have the honor to declare that we’ve found a treasure”: Treasure hunters in the southern Bessarabia in the end of 19th c. - beginning of the 20th c.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XV [XXX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Игорь Сапожников, Юрий Болтрик
Yagorlyk mounds near the Dniester: history of study, cartography and topography
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The exhibit represents a fragment from a unique amphora discovered in 1988 in a ceramic kiln from the Chirileni III settlement (Sîngerei district), attributed to the Cucuteni-Tripolie archaeological culture stage CII (5th-4th millennia 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.