#Exhibit of the Month

This remarkable portrait of Mihai Eminescu, created by artist Alexandru Gușanov, is based on one of the four known photographs of the poet. The photograph that inspired this portrait was taken in 1869 in Wenceslas Square, Prague, when Eminescu was only 19 years old. The oval composition and harmonious color palette highlight the prominent personality and charisma of the young poet, capturing an expression that conveys both melancholy and intellectual depth.
Alexandru Gușanov (1929-2005), a Moldovan painter of Ukrainian origin, distinguished himself through his extensive work, comprising approximately 5,000 pieces - portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings. Settled in Moldova since 1945, Gușanov graduated from the Republican Art School "I.E. Repin" in Chișinău in 1952. His works were showcased in numerous national and international exhibitions and were highly appreciated in countries such as France, Hungary, Russia, and Yugoslavia. The artist dedicated a significant part of his career to creating portraits of historical and cultural figures, including Dimitrie Cantemir, Mihail Kogălniceanu, and Alexei Mateevici, which are part of the National Museum of History of Moldova's collection.

The subject of the portrait, Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), is the most significant poet in Romanian literature, whose works reflect profound thought, sensitivity toward nature, and national identity. At the age of 19, when the photograph that inspired this portrait was taken, Eminescu was in the midst of his intellectual formation, preparing to become the iconic voice of Romanian culture. Among his most famous works is the poem Luceafărul (The Morning Star), a masterpiece of universal literature.

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Library „Tyragetia"

Ion Tentiuc

Contributions to the History and Archaeology of the Prut-Dniester Area: The Sites of Durlești and Molești

Series Biblioteca „Tyragetia” XXI, Chișinău, 2012, 288 p. ISBN 978-9975-80-667-1.

The monograph Contributions to the History and Archaeology of the Prut-Dniester Area: The Sites of Durlești and Molești includes the results of systematic archaeological investigations of important sites located in the central part of the Prut-Dniester region. The research carried out at Durlești and Molești has provided a rich and valuable archaeological material. Along with the remains of the Neolithic, which led to the identification of a new type of dwelling previously unknown in the East-Carpathian area, there were investigated several Getae dwelling and burial complexes of the 4^th - 3^rd centuries BC.

In addition, the research managed to substantially replenish the documentary sources for the study of the Early Middle Ages (5^th - 7^th, 8^th - 10^th, and 11^th - 13th AD); specifically identify the material and spiritual culture of the population belonging to the Romance population of the central part of the Prut-Dniester area; elucidate the problems concerned the Răducăneni culture - the delimitation of its chronological framework based on stratigraphic successions of cultural horizons and discovered remains; highlight the impact of external factors on the Răducăneni culture as a result of sedentarization of several groups of nomads. All this indicates the continuity of the local Romance population in the second half of the first millennium and the first centuries of the second millennium AD.

Scientific publication of the results of archaeological investigations conducted in the sites of Durlești-Valea Babei and Molești-Râpa Adâncă is one of the major achievements of the contemporary research. This paper enriches considerably the scientific information on the development of local communities from prehistory to the early medieval period.

The work is part of major research of the ancient and medieval history of the Prut-Dniester, East-Carpathian, and South-East European area, offering the researchers - history teachers, students, and all who are interested in our history - an important, scientifically valuable and very timely material for the study.