#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

Virtual Tour

Publications

Library „Tyragetia"

Elena Ploșnița, Mihai Ursu

Encyclopedia of Museology of the Republic of Moldova

Series “Biblioteca „Tyragetia” XX, Chișinău, 2011, 308 p. ISBN 978-9975-80-526-1.

Encyclopedia of Museology of the Republic of Moldova is a work dedicated to the museum world of the country. Its content focuses on the most significant museums, the most remarkable personalities in the field. An encyclopedia about museums can not cover everything, but the selected and presented materials reflect the museum sphere in detail.

Encyclopedia of Museology of the Republic of Moldova appeared in late 2011, at the Bons Offices Publishing and Printing House, Chisinau. The authors of the volume are Elena Ploșnița, Ph.D. and Mihai Ursu.

Encyclopedia of Museology of the Republic of Moldova contains ca 300 articles placed in alphabetical order, which provide clear and objective information about the Moldavian museum world since the 19^th century to the present. It is supplemented by the List of Abbreviations, summaries in four languages, List of Sources, Bibliography, Index of Articles, Index of Names, and Index of Localities. Many of the articles have a historical prelude: every phenomenon is presented in its development. Most articles are accompanied by Works and Bibliography, which contain the most important materials on the subject or on the life and work of museums, scientists, and people of culture. Both in the Works and Bibliography, the works are presented in chronological order, regardless of the language they were written.

The work comprises three main blocks of information: museological material (terminology, concepts); historical material (information on museums of the past, different societies, contemporary museums and their collections, etc.); biographical material (information about the museum specialists, collectors, museum supporters, etc.). All the articles are presented in alphabetical order, regardless of the block of information.

The Encyclopedia includes black and white and color illustrations. Special attention was given to illustrations reflecting museum pieces; there are also given images of museum buildings and photos of personalities who have found the right place in the pages of the Encyclopedia. In black and white there are given presently nonexistent museums of the past, collectors, scientists, and museum specialists who are no longer among the living. In color there are presented pieces from the museum collections, buildings of the museums, which are now open to the public, and specialists who are working in the museums today. Most of the photographs were made by Iurie Foca.

The Encyclopedia as any work can be improved; it is a beginning that can be continued by colleagues, curators, historians, and others, in one or another way. We will be grateful to those who would have the courage to continue the presentation of MUSEUM phenomenon in other scientific publications.