Oral tradition and written sources indicate that the historic core of Chișinău is located in the lower part of the modern city adjacent to the river of Bic. Thus, in medieval documents the name of Chișinău was firstly mentioned on July 17, 1436 in the document of Moldavian rulers Ilie and Stefan, in connection with the determination of borders of land granted to the Logofat Oancea for faithful service: “…near Bic, on the other side, in the valley opposite to Cheseneul of Acbas, by the wellspring, where there is a Tatar settlement, opposite the woods”. The locality emerged at the source, that had been providing the inhabitants with drinking water until 1930s, had existed, apparently, already in the second half of the 14th century, before the ousting the Golden Horde from the south-eastern part of the Carpathian-Dniester area in the 30-80s of this century.

Archaeological exploration in the recent years has revealed that within the actual boundaries of Chișinău there are 55 archaeological sites (fig. 1). Of these, 21 are classified as single- and multilayer ones and 31 are burial mounds. The abovementioned 8 multi-layer and 13 single-layer sites include 6 prehistoric sites, 23 settlements of different times, one fortification, and 5 necropolises.

The earliest Chișinău archaeological sites are the Upper Paleolithic sites (ca 50.000-10.000 BC). They are discovered (and partially investigated) in the valley of Valea Morilor, Valea Trandafirilor, Malina Mica, at the Telecenter, and, possibly, in the historic center of the city, at the crossroads of the Stephen the Great Boulevard and Sergey Lazo Street. The Mesolithic Age (ca 20/15.000-12/10.000 BC) is represented by the site located near the St. Constantine and Helena Church, not far from the building of circus. Several flint tools representing the pre-ceramic Neolithic (the 9th-7th millennia BC) were found at Malina Mica. The real surprise for Chișinău was a discovery in 2009 of a site related to Aeneolithic time. Archaeological excavations in the Valea Morilor Aeneolithic settlement gave a very interesting material for studying the history and archaeology of the Prut-Dniester region in general and the micro-region under review in particular. At the same valley of Valea Morilor there was discovered and partially investigated a Bronze Age settlement that, together with the settlement found near the St. Constantine and Helena Church, complements a general picture of the development of local prehistoric communities in the region.

A large number of sites represent the period of the Thracian Hallstatt. Within the boundaries of modern Chișinău there were found four settlements of this time. One of them, discovered at Buiucani, was investigated in 1955/1956 by A.I. Meljukova and refers to the archaeological culture of Chișinău-Corlăteni. The settlement dates back to the 12th-10th centuries BC. The Getae culture is represented by a settlement discovered in the area of Colina Puskin.

The Roman era is represented by six archaeological sites. Of these, two burial grounds belong to the Sarmatian tribes (the 2nd century BC - 2nd century AD). They were found in the streets of Muncești and Vaslui. Four sites belong to the Santana de Mureș-Černjahov culture (the 3rd-4th century). There were discovered three settlements and a burial mound in the valley of Valea Morilor, Valea Trandafirilor, in the Rascani district, and in the territory of the former meat-packing plant (121 Muncești St.).

Within the boundaries of modern Chișinău the Middle Ages are represented by the largest number of archaeological sites: 12. Five of them are characteristic for the early medieval period: three settlements relate to the Lozna- Dodești-Hansca (=the Protodridu culture) (the 7th-9th centuries), while the other two belong to Răducăneni culture (the 11th-13th centuries). One settlement discovered on the right bank of Bic near the Muncești Street relates to the Golden Horde period. The 15th-17th centuries are represented especially by settlements and burial grounds discovered in the area of the historic center of Chișinău.

Archaeological investigations carried out in 2009-2010 on the Mazarache plateau and in the Valea Morilor valley have revealed new interesting materials for the study of prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Chisinau. The excavation revealed remains of dwellings, food wells, stone cellars, tools, pottery, various ornaments, i.e. material culture that allows more fully recreate various aspects of social, economic, and cultural life of Chișinău inhabitants as well as their spiritual aspirations.

Within the boundaries of modern Chișinău there were found several hoards of bronze objects as well as more than a dozen coin hoards and single coins (fig. 2). The coin hoards include from several ones to dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of coins. Their composition reflects the intense economic relations of Chisinau as well as political instability in the region during certain periods of its development.

List of illustrations:
Map 1. Chișinău. Settlements, ground burials and burial mounds.
Map 2. Chișinău. Hoards of coins and other objects.