The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown.
A situla (Latin for "bucket") is a metal vessel-usually made of bronze-shaped like a pail and equipped with two movable handles at the top, traditionally used for mixing wine with water. The handles are attached to the vessel via two decorated ears that are welded to the rim.
The body of the situla is truncated-conical in shape and features two decorative bands with small circular patterns formed by hammering, located just below the rim.
Its base is double-layered: the inner bottom is hemispherical and hammered, while the outer bottom is flat and lathe-made. The outer base is welded to the inner bottom, serving as the vessel's foot-support.
This object was crafted using a combination of casting, hammering, and partial lathe-finishing. Dimensions: Maximum height - 31.7 cm; Maximum diameter - 22.8 cm; Base diameter - 13.5 cm
Situlae of this type originated in the Roman Empire and were later adopted by various ancient peoples, including those from the northwestern Pontic region.
The Medal “For Works on Excellent Performance of General Mobilization in 1914” from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Abstract
In the collections of NMHM there are a military award, which has a particular symbolic value in view of the centenary of the First World War, which was celebrated in 2014 the medal "For Works on Excellent Performance of General Mobilization in 1914".
The medal was established by the decree of 12 February 1915 and was awarded to persons who had participated actively in the work associated with drawing up plans for mobilization, recruitment in military service, the supply of troops in dressings, providing military vehicles, as well as the transport of troops and military cargo. In addition, it was awarded to persons directly involved in the execution of works during the mobilization of 1914. Later the provisions were completed, so that the medal could be awarded to persons responsible for pre-military training of young people. The main issue (50000 copies) was made at the Petrograd Mint, and 800 medals were sent to Bessarabia, according to the request of its governor M.E. Gilhen.
Regarding the piece that is kept at NMHM, we shall mention that it entered the museum's collections from the disbanded Museum of Military Glory. It was donated to this museum in 1977 by a resident of Chișinău Vladimir Șirevschi. The donation included, in addition to this, other four military medals of the time and a photo of their former owner Onufrie Filipovici Shirevsky, the donor's father, who fought on the battlefields of the First World War.
The close analysis of the medal suggests that it was not made at the Petrograd Mint; most likely it was minted in a private workshop, located either at Kerki, the town in Turkestan, where the regiment of O.F. Shirevsky was stationed at the beginning of the First World War, or in Tashkent, the administrative center of Turkestan Region. It is known that, due to the large number of requests and the exhaustion of the original stock, private workshops in some gubernias, with the permission of the authorities, produced replicas of this medal. These replicas were awarded to those who, in local authorities' opinion, was worthy of this medal. In the archive file on awarding the medal "For Works on Excellent Performance of General Mobilization in 1914" in Bessarabia there is no mention of such initiatives of the local governor. This fact strengthens our assumptions, although in the questionnaire of O.F. Shirevsky, filled on March 18, 1916, there is no mention about the awarding this medal.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Shirevsky Onufrie Filipovici. On his chest one can see three crosses of the Order of St. George of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes, the 4th class St. George Medal, and the medal "In Memory of the 300th Anniversary of Romanov Dynasty". On the left pocket flap there is a badge of the 11th Rifle Regiment of Turkestan. Fig. 2. The medal "For Works on Excellent Performance of General Mobilization in 1914" from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova. Fig. 3. The medal "For Works on Excellent Performance of General Mobilization in 1914" made at the Petrograd Mint.
Andrei Emilciuc
Organization and functioning of the cordon sanitaire on the Danube borders of the Russian Empire (1812-1856)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Andrei Emilciuc
Entrepreneurial transhumance in Bessarabia (1812-1853)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Andrei Emilciuc
The legal framework of the circulation of Western European books in the Russian Empire (1721-1917)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Andrei Emilciuc
The role of grain exports in external commerce of Bessarabia (1812-1830)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Andrei Emilciuc
Comparative evolution of the customs system in Bessarabia and Romania (1859-1914)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVI [XXXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The Roman bronze situla comes from a collection of archaeological artifacts confiscated at customs and transferred to the holdings of the National Museum of History of Moldova in 2009. Its place of discovery remains unknown....
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
