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).
Orhei district Mașcăuți hermitage („al lui Albu pârcălab”) and Mașcăuți estate
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The article, on the basis of personal field research and on the basis of examination of published and unknown documents show some pages regarding the medieval history of Mașcăuți estate. Also, here is analyzing the historic development of the Mașcăuți hermitage in the name of Dormition of Our Lady.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Mașcăuți estate (17th -19th century) (designed by S. Ciocanu). Estates: 1 - Trebujeni estate; 2 -Peștera/Movilău/Brănești estate; 3 - Cotelnici/Hârtop estate; 4 - Pocrășeni/Jevreni estate; 5 - Bălășești estate; 6 - Ciofeni/Răculești estate; 7 - Horilcani/Holercani estate. Fig. 2. Hucisca gorge. View from the Raut river (by S. Ciocanu). Fig. 3. Mascauti estate (fragment of 1824 year project) (V. Malanetchi archive). Fig. 4. Mascauti cave complexes project (designed by S. Ciocanu). Cave complexes: nr.1 - Pesterile Ciucului (Holm); nr. 2 - Pesterile Ciucului (sub Bacota); nr. 3 - Chilioare/Chiliori (cave part of the Mascauti hermitage). Fig. 5. Cave complex nr. 2 (Pesterile Ciucului). Project of the levels (designed by T. Bobrovski, B. Ridus). Fig. 6. Cave complex nr. 3 (Chilioare). Project of the levels (designed by T. Bobrovski, B. Ridus).
Sergius Ciocanu
Monasteries Vișnevăț and Căpriana – two different ecclesial establishments. „Poiana” and „prisaca”
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007
Sergius Ciocanu
Orhei district Trebujeni hermitage („al lui Bosie pârcălab”) and Trebujeni/Butuceni estate
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Sergius Ciocanu
New information on the construction of the Ascension Church in Chişinău and on its precursor – the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Sergius Ciocanu
Orhei district Peștera hermitage and Peștera estate. From the first mentions to the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Sergius Ciocanu
Buildings of the Capriana monastery in the first two decades of the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], 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.