Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.
The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.
Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.
Playbills from the collection of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
This paper is the result of a research of the collection of playbills from the National Museum of Archaeology andHistory of Moldova. The majority of playbills refers to the modern period (1941-2910) and reflects mainly the activity of national theaters, while playbills of provincial theaters are in a very small number (a few copies). It was found the total lack of playbills of 1918-1940, although it is known that in the interwar period in Bessarabia there were theaters. Depending on the form and content, the playbills were distributed by us in three categories. Playbills of the first category include the standard elements: name of the theatre, name of the play, director, producer, and composer, at times even distribution of roles, date and place of performance, the address of printing house. The second category of playbills includes complex information: together with the names of the author and the actors there are images of scenes from the performance. The third category of playbills combines the elements of the first and second categories: some of them include scenes from the performance, the others – only the names of the ac- tors and authors. The same category includes playbills with images of main actors and famous authors.
List of Illustrations: 1. Playbill. The opera “A Singer from Palermo”, libretto by B. Buchbinder. Tour of the operetta troupe of the Odessa Russian Theatre at the B. Grossman’s Theatre in Chișinău, 1897. 2. Playbill. The play “Sentimental Waltz” by O. Litovsky. The Chișinău Russian Drama Theatre, 1941. 3. Playbill. The opera “Madame Butterfly” by G. Puccini. The Moldavian Opera and Drama Theatre, 1947. 4. Playbill. The play “Much Ado About Nothing” by W. Shakespeare. The Moldavian State Academic Music and Drama Theatre named after A. S. Pushkin, 1983. 5. Playbill. The opera “La Traviata” by G. Verdi. Tour of the soloist of the National Opera of Slovakia (Bratislava) Sidonia Goleakova in Chișinău, 1984. 6. Playbill. The play “Doina” by I. Druță. Tour of the Moldavian State Academic Music and Drama Theatre named after A. S. Pushkin at the Maly Theatre in Moscow, 1985. 7. Poster. The All-Union Festival “Ion Druta and Contemporary Theater”, Chișinău, 1988. 8. Playbill. The performance “Danila Prepeleac” by I. Creangă. The “Licurici” Republican Theatre, 1985. 9. Playbill. The performance “The Story of Petrișor” by P. Cărare și Gh. Urschi. The “Licurici” Republican Theatre, 1990s. 10. Playbill. The repertoire of the Tambov Dramatic Theater named after A. Lunacharsky on tour in Chișinău, 1982. 10. Playbill. The play “The Bald Soprano” by E. Ionesco. The “Eugene Ionesco” Theatre, 1990s. 11. Playbill. The play “The Loveliest Afternoon Of the Year” by John Guare. The “Eugene Ionesco” Theatre, 1990s. 12. Playbill. The play “The Sisters-in-Law” by Michel Tremblaу. The “M. Eminescu” National Theater, 1990s. 13. Playbill. The performance “What is human life” by A. Arkanov. The “Satiricus I.L. Caragiale “ Theatre, 1990s. 14. Playbill. The opera “Madame Butterfly” by G. Puccini. The Opera and Ballet Theatre, 1990s. 15. Playbill. The performance “Field Flowers” by C. Condrea. The Rybnitsa People’s Theater, 1961. 16. Playbill. The performance “The Lazy Daughter-in-Law”. The Taraclia People’s Theatre, (undated).
Vera Stăvilă
Soviet propaganda posters of the Second World War in collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
Movie posters from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
Collection of anti-religious drawings and lithographs from the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Vera Stăvilă
The history of the Bessarabian Belle Arte School and Society
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
A forgotten painter – Nicolae A. Coleadici (1906-1937)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM)...
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.