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#Exhibit of the Month

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The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency.

The ceramic assemblage consists of a large storage vessel (pithos) with a capacity of 20 litres (h = 39.2 cm; d = 35.0 cm), decorated with a raised band below the rim; a medium-sized bowl with a capacity of 2.5 litres (h = 16.9 cm; d = 23.2 cm); a medium-sized jug with a capacity of 0.6 litres (h = 12.0 cm; d = 13.4 cm); and the base of a jar-shaped vessel.

The coarse handmade pottery was produced using the coil-building technique, by stacking and shaping coils of clay prepared from a paste tempered with crushed fired clay (grog) and sand. The vessel surfaces are uneven and covered with a yellowish-red slip featuring black patches, while the core of the vessel walls is black in colour.

The three vessels preserved intact display well-defined biconical shapes, with their maximum diameter at the middle of the body and straight or slightly oblique rims with rounded edges. Pottery of this type is characteristic of the Early Medieval cultural area of the northern and northwestern Black Sea region, dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries. East of the Dniester River, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, analogous pottery is found in Penkovka-type settlements, while in the Carpathian-Dniester region it is characteristic of settlements belonging to the Costișa-Botoșana-Hansca cultural group.

Within the Prut-Dniester region, coarse biconical pottery is generally represented by fragments and only relatively rarely by complete vessels, such as those discovered at Hansca, Dănceni, Recea, Seliște, Păhărniceni, and other sites. This type of pottery constituted an indispensable component of the local material culture during the 5th-7th centuries. In this context, the discovery at Bălceana of an almost intact set of coarse biconical vessels represents a relatively rare find of considerable scientific importance.

According to certain hypotheses, the tradition of coarse biconical pottery dating to the 5th-7th centuries originated in the North Pontic region. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these biconical ceramic vessels were the result of contemporary ethnocultural interactions, developing simultaneously across the vast territory extending from the Carpathian Mountains to the Dnieper River and the Seversky Donets.

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Publications Journal „Tyragetia"   vol. X [XXV], nr. 2


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
ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

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

Keywords: Boril Asan, Henri I, Andrew II, Slav, Strez, Innocentius III, the Vlaho-Bulgarian Tsardom, Hungary.

Abstract: The reign of Tsar Boril Asen (1207-1218) represents a crucial stage in the development of relations between the Bulgarian-Wallachian Empire and the Catholic powers, supporters of the crusades: The Latin Empire of Constantinople, the Kingdom of Thessalonica, Hungary and the Holy See. Under the pressure of a difficult international environment, these relationships have changed from a political dispute and armed conflict to the military-political alliance. In the relationship between the Second Bulgarian Empire and Crusader States there are two distinct periods: a) 1208-1213/1214, a stage of the conflict, marked by strong political tensions and military confrontation; b) 1213/1214-1218, a period of collaboration, marked by the entry of the State of Asens into the camp of Catholic powers and the conclusion of the military-political alliances.

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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
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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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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
Vasile Mărculeț
Quelques considerations sur les relations politiques entre la Moldavie et la Venise en 15e siècle et le début du 16e siècle
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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La politique de l'empereur Flavius Valens au Bas-Danube 364-370. La perte de la Dacie meridionale
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică



 

 

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#Exhibit of the Month

The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency...

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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.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



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.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

menu
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.
©2006-2026 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC