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).
Some considerations related to the borders of the Principality of Moldavia in the second half of 14th century – Pocutsia and Colomeea
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The question of territorial formation of the Moldavian feudal state continues to attract the attention of historians. One aspect of this problem is the inclusion of Pocutsia and the city Colomeea in the Principality of Moldavia. Colomeea was mentioned as a “Wallach” city in the known source entitled “The names of all Russian cities in the near neighborhood and far beyond”. Recent studies by Russian historians suggest that this source was compiled around 1375-1381. Corroborating this information with studies made by Polish historians, according to whom Pocutsia and some other territories were given to Moldavia by a Hungarian King, one can conclude that these territories became part of Moldavia around 1377-1387. Available sources so far do not allow determining more precisely the timeframe when these territories were included in the borders of Moldavia.
Ion Eremia
Documente Bucovinene, vol. VII / Teodor Balan, Iași, TAIDA, 2005, XX p. + 318 p.; vol VIII, XVI p. +234 p. - vol. IX, Iași, TAIDA, 2006, XII p. + 164 p.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ion Eremia
Antoine François Le Clerc, Memoriu Topografi c și Statistic asupra Basarabiei, Valahiei și Moldovei, Provincii ale Turciei în Europa. Ediție îngrijită, studiu introductiv, note și comentarii de Ioan-Aurel Pop și Sorin Şipoș. Traducere din limba franceză de Delia-Maria Radu; însoțită de reproducerea manuscrisului original. Institutul Cultural Român. Cluj-Napoca, 2004. LII +90 p.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ion Eremia
Ioan Horga, Sorin Şipoș, De la „Mica" la „Marea Europă". Mărturii franceze de la sfârșitul secolului al XIX-lea despre frontiera răsăriteană a Europei. Studii și documente. Traducerea textelor Delia-Maria Radu. Oradea, Editura Universității din Oradea, 2006
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ion Eremia
Mihai Maxim, Noi documente turcești privind Ţările Române și Înalta Poartă (1526-1602), Brăila, Editura Istros, 2008, 341 p.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Ion Eremia
The ancient nation – origins, essence and its importance
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
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.