The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 BC).
The vessel, with an obviously asymmetrical configuration, is hand-moulded from quality clay paste, having a smooth brown surface with gray spots. The body of the vessel is provided with a pronounced protrusion and a truncated neck with a wider opening towards the mouth. The vessel has a stem and is ornamented with three pairs of symmetrically placed relief appliqués. The height of the bowl is 15.5 cm, the diameter of the mouth is 11.4 cm, the diameter of the body is 15 cm and the diameter of the base is 7.5 cm. Such vessels in the archaeological literature are known as "askos" vessels, the respective term being of ancient Greek origin, denoting one of the primitive containers of the period - the bellows made of animal skin.
In prehistoric times, among some peoples, the bellows was transposed into ceramics, in these cases the basic features of the archaic leather vessel were preserved, acquiring a prominent convex shape with a stem and a flat bottom. From the original appearance of the bellows, the asymmetric mouth corresponding to the animal's neck has been preserved, and sometimes three or four legs, corresponding to the appendages of the flayed skin from the animal's legs. These vessels have lost their original zoomorphic character, entering as a new form in the inventory of Neo-Eneolithic ceramics. The first vessels of this type are attested in Greece, in the early Neolithic (ca. 5000-4500 BC) having the shape of cups or cups. In the Neo-Eneolithic Carpatho-Balkan cultures, the type of Aegean askos of short or tall form, with or without legs and with a handle, is found. Less often, they are provided with two mouths (one for filling and one for emptying) or they are off-center and provided with strangely shaped mouths. In the space between the Carpathians and the Dnieper, only tall forms of simple askos, without zoomorphic elements, are known. Askos-type vessels are present in various prehistoric cultures, especially in Southeast Europe and Anatolia.
Being often discovered in association with cult inventory, askos vessels could be an important indicator of use in religious ritual practices. Along with the zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and rhyton-type vessels (roughly conical container from which, in some ceremonies, liquids were drunk or poured), the askos were included in the category of vessels intended for worship, being related to libations (ritual act that consisted of tasting and then pouring a cup of wine, milk, etc. as homage to the deity).
On the relations between the Vlach-Bulgarian Tsardom and the Byzantine Empire in 1197-1204
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2015
Abstract
In 1197 Ionitsa (Kaloyan) Asen came to the throne of the Second Bulgarian (or the Vlach-Bulgarian) Tsardom. Having ascended to the throne, he inherited strained relations with the Byzantine Empire. During the first two years of reign the new tsar did not engage in military actions against Byzantium. In this period of time he consolidated his internal positions, strengthened the relations with the Cumans and had made alliances with two other Vlach rulers, Dobromir Chrysos from Macedonia and Ivanko from Thrace, who rebelled against Byzantium. Around 1199 Ionitsa Asen resumed the war with the Empire, opposing her possessions in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle Danube and northern Macedonia. During these campaigns the Vlach-Bulgarian sovereign attached to his possessions lands lying between Vidin and Belgrade. Along with the resumption of hostilities against Byzantium in the north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, the allies of the ruler of Tarnovo – the Vlachs and the Cumans from Northern Danube attacked the Byzantine possessions in Thrace. Between 1199 and 1200/1201 they attacked this region for several times. In the spring of 1201 Ionitsa Asen started his own military campaign against Byzantine possessions in Thrace, during which he conquered the strongholds of Konstanteia and Varna. In March-April 1201 he signed a peace treaty with the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. Under this treaty, both sides defined the boundaries of their possessions. The treaty did not normalize relations between Tarnovo and Constantinople and they continued to be strained. Both sides violated it on various occasions.
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Considerations regarding the defense components of the lower Danube limes at the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th century. The land forces recorded by Notitia Dignitatum
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
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Considérations concernant le titre et le statut politique-juridique international des dynastes de la Dobroudja du XIVe siècle
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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The Bulgarian-Wallachian Empire and the Crusaders during the reign of the Tsar Boril Asen (1207-1218). From armed conflict to the political and military collaboration
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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Jerémias - un métropolite ignoré de la Hungrovalachie du début du XVe siècle
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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Byzantine military-administrative units in the Eastern Bulgaria and on the Lower Danube during the reign of John I Tzimisces
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The exposed object, an "askos" type ceramic vessel, comes from the tumulus necropolis near the village of Ciumai, Taraclia district. The vessel was discovered in 2015 in a cenotaph tomb attributed to the Jamnaja culture, dated to the early Bronze Age (ca. 3300-2600 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.