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.
Николай К. Анисюткин, Сергей Коваленко, Алиса Ларионова, Александр Очередной, Ксения Степанова, Андрей Чепалыга
Preliminary results of interdisciplinary research of the Early Paleolithic multilayered site of Bairaki in Transnistria in 2011- 2012
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The article is devoted to preliminary results of comprehensive research of the Early Paleolithic site of Bairaki, which was discovered in 2010 and investigated in 2011-2012. The work was conducted by a team of specialists from Russia and Republic of Moldova, including archaeologists (IHMC RAS, St. Petersburg; Institute of Cultural Heritage, ASM), geologists and paleogeographers (Institute of Geography and Geology RAS, Moscow). In the site there were found several layers of archaeological and paleontological finds associated with ancient deposits of the high 7th terrace above the flood plain of the Dniester.
According to the stratigraphy, there were two complexes - the early and the late. The first is associated with alluvial deposits, and the second - with the overlying ancient fossil soils. A few finds of the late complex are comparable to the stone artifacts of the "Dubăsari industry", the variety of regional Acheulian (500-700 thousands years old). More numerous finds of the early complex date back to the Late Eopleistocene (0.8-1.2 million years old), corre- sponding to the developed or classic Oldowan of Africa and Eurasia.
List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. A schematic map of the location of sites in the Lower Transnistria in the vicinity of Dubăsari: 1 - Bairaki; 2 - Bolshoy Fontan; 3 - Kretseshty.
Fig. 2. Section and plans of excavations in the Bairaki site. The section of the northeastern wall of the excavation.
Legend: 1 - Holocene layers; 2 - yellowish-brown loess loam; 3 - brown fossil soil; 4 - red-colored fossil soil; 5 - hydromorphic fossil soil; 6 - floodplain alluvium; 7 - oxbow deposits; 8 - deposits of channel alluvium; 9 - conglomerate. Plans of excavations in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The plan of the lower layer (excavation in 2012).
Fig. 3. 1 - General view of the ravine and site of Bairaki from the south; 2 - general view of the excavation from the opposite (western) slope of the gorge.
Fig. 4. Stone products of the late complex: 1 - flint pebble chopper (middle horizon); 2 - core with frost damage (upper horizon); 3 - slightly rounded scraper (upper horizon); 4 - Quina type retouched scraper on a fragment of flint (upper horizon); 5 - jasper pebble chopper (lower horizon).
Fig. 5. Stone products of the late complex: 1 - flint flake (middle horizon); 2 - retouched flint flake (middle horizon); 3 - core-like fragment scraper (middle horizon); 4 - lanceolate worked pebble (lower horizon); 5 - core with scraper working edge (upper horizon).
Fig. 6. Stone products of the early (Oldowan) complex: 1 - Cosăuți sandstone rounded lanceolate worked pebble; 2 - Cosăuți sandstone chopper with alternating treatment of the working edge; 3 - Devonian sandstone chopper with alternating treatment of the working edge; 4 - Cosăuți sandstone chopper with notched working edge.
Fig. 7. Stone products of the early (Oldowan) complex: 1-11 - flint flakes; 12 - a flake of quartz sandstone; 13-16 - nuclei and nucleoid forms (13 - with a scraping edge).
Fig. 9. Stone products of the early (Oldowan) complex: 1-5 - beaked burins (3 - combined with scraper); 6 - rounded and heavily crazed flint beaked point; 7 - almost rectangular scraper on a flint blade; 8 - beaked point on a Cosăuți sandstone pebble.
Николай К. Анисюткин
The stone industry particularities of the 3a layer from Trinca 1 grotto
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
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.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
