#Exhibit of the Month

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.

Virtual Tour

Chronological Axis

Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire

(1812 - 1828)

In this period Bessarabia was a province having a special statute – the Ukase “On the Formation of the Bessarabian Oblast” of April 29, 1818, which specified the observance of certain peculiarities in governing.

According to the Senate ukase of March 15, 1828, Bessarabia was incorporated in the general system of the Empire. In the annexed territory there was created the Chisinau and Hotin Eparchy (the Ukase of the Holy Synod of 30 September, 1813) subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The first Metropolitan of the new eparchy was Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni (1813-1821).

There were opened the Eparchial Printing-house (May 31, 1814), which served for printing religious books in the “Moldavian language”, the Chisinau Theological Seminary (1813), and district schools of gymnasia type (in Chisinau, Hotin, Tighina, Balti, Akkerman, Ismail). During this time a large colonization process begins in the south of Bessarabia.

- Memoirs of Major von Raan from Russian campaign in the years 1787-1790, in which Bessarabia is described as it was on the eve of annexation -