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.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
In the period from 16 December 2010 to 25 March 2011 the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova organized the exhibition "In the World of Toys". It was designed to diversify the museum's educational programs for visitors. The exhibition brought together over 450 exhibits, falling chronologically between the 4th millennium BC and 2010. Exceptional state of preservation, variety of subjects, intrinsic value and uniqueness were the criteria for selecting the objects for the exhibition. Collaboration with the Museum of Antiquities of the State University of Moldova, Studio "Teleradio-Moldova", the Municipal Puppet Theatre "Guguta" as well as with a number of collectors from Moldova and Romania allowed presenting to the visitors exhibits of great scientific and aesthetic interest.
For the first time, the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova organized and offered the visitors an exhibition devoted exclusively to toys. It was intended for a wide audience and was very popular among visitors of all ages.
Lucia Marinescu
In memoriam Mihai Onilă
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lucia Marinescu-Tonu
The museum institution in the process of globalization
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lucia Marinescu-Tonu
Museum institution in the „globalization trap”
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lucia Marinescu-Tonu
Techniques for interpreting cultural heritage in the provinces of Trento and Ferrara
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIV [XXIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lucia Marinescu-Tonu
Returning to the buckles...
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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 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.