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).
The National Theater „Vasile Alecsandri” from Bălți: historical retrospective
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
The National Theater V. Alecsandri from Bălți has a rich history of particular theater events. In the 50 years of its activity, on the scene from Bălți have been mounted around 200 performances – national and universal, classical and modern dramatic art shows. The theater has been a true forgery of artistic talents. In this environment were launched and further developed big personalities of the stage - Mihai Volontir, Iulian Codău, Victor Ciutac, Grigore Grigoriu, who make the pride of the Bessarabian theater and which contributed to the development of the theatrical art in Moldova.
We can trace two tendencies in the activity program of the National Theater V. Alecsandri from Bălți: the theater contributed to the cultural continuity on the territory between Prut and Dniester, to the valorization of the dramatic heritage of writer V. Alecsandri. Second, the theater was tributary to its time and political regimes, participating to the Sovietisation and Russification process.
List of illustrations: Picture 1. Boris Harcenco, the first theater director, 1957-1965. Picture 2. Iulian Codău (on the left) and Mihai Volontir, in the performance Năpsta after I.I. Caragiale’s play, director Boris Harcenco, 1964. Picture 3. The theater troupe, 2007.
Vera Stăvilă
Female images on Soviet posters from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XV [XXX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
A forgotten painter – Nicolae A. Coleadici (1906-1937)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
Concert posters from the National Museum of History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
Playbills from the collection of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Vera Stăvilă
The “Luceafărul” Republican Theatre for Children and Youth: Pages of History
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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.