We find ourselves in the month of April, as we prepare to celebrate Easter-a moveable religious holiday rich in festive rituals and ceremonial activities that place this event at the very heart of Christian spiritual life. The spirit of the Resurrection is beautifully complemented by ten Easter-themed postcards from the heritage of the National Museum of History of Moldova, printed a century ago. These pieces were added to the museum's postcard collection over a decade ago following a successful acquisition; as the fund for Easter-themed illustrations is modest, we are in a constant search for new additions.
These postcards are "extraordinary" in terms of their postal, typographical, and chromatic effects-the primary reason for revisiting this genre of greetings. Unlike "classic" postcards, these are smaller in size (6.5 cm x 11 cm), made of cardboard (with the exception of one piece made of photographic paper in black and white), and feature "vivid" colors. Printed in Romania and Germany, they bear the marks of having been sent and circulated through the post.
The name of the holiday originates from the verb persach, meaning "to pass," a term adopted by the Jews from the Egyptians. It entered the Romanian language through the Byzantine-Latin form Paschae, signifying the "passage through death to life, the victory of life, and liberation from the bondage of sin." Easter is a holiday of tolerance and forgiveness, representing a bridge between the present and the past. The significance of this celebration is conveyed through its symbols, which are also featured on these postcards: Hand-painted eggs, the Easter Bunny and the Lamb, traditional sweet breads (cozonac and pască), biblical scenes related to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Easter table also features pască-a ritual food reminiscent of ancient, bloodless "reconciliation" sacrifices. Its preparation is the exclusive task of women, the givers of life, as the leavened dough is considered "alive."
The most significant component of the Easter holiday, however, is the Light. The Ceremony of the Holy Light is associated with the miracle of the light appearing on Easter Sunday at Christ's Tomb in Jerusalem. The candle, often depicted in these images, carries a powerful message; it is with the Resurrection candle that we return home after the midnight religious service. Furthermore, the Easter Bunny represents the rebirth of nature, so eagerly awaited after a harsh winter.
Unlike Christmas, when the announcement and ritual integration of the community into sacred time was the duty of caroling groups, at Easter, "one does not go from house to house." Instead, the ritual meal is organized within each family, symbolizing a direct communion with God.
The Cucuteni C pottery in the Cucuteni-Trypillia cultural complex (Formulation of the problem and a brief historiography)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2016
Keywords: Cucuteni, Trypillia, Cucuteni C pottery, import, influence.
Abstract: The "Cucuteni C pottery" is a special term for a kind of Cucuteni pottery, injected by Hubert Schmidt. The earliest samples of this pottery are dated by the B1 stage. According to T. Movsha, this kind of pottery appeared at Cucuteni-Trypillia sites under the influence of Serednii Stig Culture. Another question is whether these contacts were important for developing of this kind of pottery, especially for the Trypillia B1 - Cucuteni A stages.
Samples of Serednyi Stig Culture from Cucuteni-Trypillia sites are innumerous. These sites are distributed on large area, but mainly in the western rather than eastern part, close to the Serednii Stig Culture area. For Trypillia B1- B2 - Cucuteni A-B stages the most of finds come from sites of the Soloncheny local group. At the Soloncheny and Myropillia sites this pottery is most similar to Steppe samples in terms of technology, stylistics and, partly, forms of pots. Some of samples may have been really imported of produced by the bearers of Serednii Stig Culture. But the appearing of Cucucteni C pottery at this time did not change the original Trypillia-Cucuteni traditions and the Serednii Stig Culture influence was limited. The use of cord decorations from BII stage may have been connected with the influence of Chernavoda I Culture. On the other hand, the Cucuteni C pottery was the main common feture of pottery assemblages at whole area inhabited by the Cucuteni-Trypillia people. The most realistic point of view is that the spreading of Cucuteni C pottery reflected more tribal than intercultural relations.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Pottery from Trypillia B1 sites: 1-4 - Neporotove 22; 5-9 - Berezivska GES (8а, 9а after Даниленко 1974); 10-14 - Vasyliivka (after Збенович, Шумова 1989); 15 - Daribany; 16 - Sabatynivka I. Fig. 2. Pottery of Serednii Stig Culture: 1-16 - Skelya stage; 17-24 - Stog stage. Fig. 3. Cucuteni C pottery from Kolomyitsiv Yar. Fig. 4. Cucuteni C pottery from Trypillia B1-B2 stage sites: 1-2 - Klishchiv (after Заец 1974); 3, 7, 8 - Dnipro region (after V. Khvoika); 5 - Buchach. Fig. 5. Cucuteni C pottery from Soloncheny group sites. Fig. 6. Cucuteni C pottery from Soloncheny 2 site (after Мовша 1998). Fig. 7. Serednii Stig and Trypillia pottery. Fig. 8. Cucuteni C pottery from Trypillia B1-B2 stage sites: 1-7, 13-14 - Dnipro region (after V. Khvoika); 8-12 - Mykolaivka. Fig. 9. Cucuteni C pottery from Trypillia B2 sites: 1, 3 - Nemyrivka; 4 - Nemyriv; 5-7 - Stanislavivka; 8 - BerezovBereg; 9-11, 13-14, 16 - Grebeni; 15 - Studenitsya. Fig. 10. Cucuteni C pottery from Chapaivka. Fig. 11. Cucuteni C pottery from Maidanetske. Fig. 12. Cucuteni C pottery from Trypillia CI stage: 1 - Talne-2; 2-4 - Dnipro region (after V. Khvoika).
Наталья Бурдо
Spindle whorls of Trypillia-Cucuteni cultural unity
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Наталья Бурдо
Traces of the ritual practice at a large Trypillian culture settlement near Maydanetske
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Михаил Видейко, Джон Чапмен, Наталья Бурдо, Биссерка Гейдарская, Стоилка Игнатова, Светлана Иванова, Виталий Рудь
Research project "Early urbanism in prehistoric Europe: the case of the Trypillian mega-sites" in 2013
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Михаил Видейко, Джон Чапмен, Биссерка Гейдарская, Наталья Бурдо, Эдуард Овчинников, Галина Пашкевич, Наталья Шевченко
Investigations of a mega-structure at the Trypillian culture settlement near Nebelivka in 2012
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Наталья Бурдо
Anthropomorphic figurines from early Bronze Age burial mounds in the Bug-Dnieper interfluves and the Dnieper area
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
We find ourselves in the month of April, as we prepare to celebrate Easter-a moveable religious holiday rich in festive rituals and ceremonial activities that place this event at the very heart of Christian spiritual life...
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.
.jpg)
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
