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 role of land transport in Bessarabian commerce (1812-1853)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007
The article analyses Bessarabian logistics infrastructure and its influence on the commerce of the region and discusses different aspects of the problem. First of all, aspects of evolution of the main commercial roads between 1812 and 1853 are studied. The advantages and disadvantages of carting, the main means of transportation in this period are discussed. An important problem that we tried to elucidate is the administration of the Dniester and Prut crossings, and also the question of concessions. Problems of construction of railways in Bessarabia, costs of transportation, social aspects of carting, etc., are addressed. The conclusions are as follows:
Firstly, the process of application for concessions of the Prut and Dniester crossings were much bureaucratized – the procedure could take up to a year, and the decisions could be made by the General Governor of Novorossia or the Minister of Communications. The most important crossings were at Bender, Akkerman and Maiaki. Their importance was due to the increasing role of Odessa seaport for Bessarabian commerce. Secondly, the costs of transportation by means of carting could reach up to half the price of the delivered cereals. Carting was possible during short dry periods when the peasantry was not occupied in agricultural works, and these were the biggest disadvantages of carting. Thirdly, the absence of an infrastructure able to satisfy the growing needs of the agricultural producers could lead eventually to a profound economical crisis.
Andrei Emilciuc
The legal status of merchants without residence in the cities of Bessarabia and in Odessa (1812-1861)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], 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
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
Export of livestock from Bessarabia to the Habsburg Empire (1812-1861)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XV [XXX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Andrei Emilciuc
Establishment and functioning of the public granaries in Bessarabia (1834-1856)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], 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.