#Exhibit of the Month

This clay vessel was discovered in 1982 by archaeologist V. Sorochin during excavations of a burial mound (no. 1) located in the village of Speia, Dubăsari District. It originates from grave no. 5 and is dated to the 4th millennium BC, belonging to the Usatovo culture.
The vessel was found in a child's grave. The burial pit had an oval shape, and the deceased was laid in a crouched position (similar to the fetal posture), on the left side. A total of five vessels were uncovered in this grave: three near the back, one at the feet, and one in the pelvic area.
The cultural attribution of this funerary complex was determined based on the burial rite and grave goods. This culture is characterized by the specific construction of the burial pit, as well as the positioning and orientation of the deceased toward the east and northeast.

The vessel is shaped from clay mixed with finely crushed shell. Its walls curve gradually toward the top, with the widest diameter at the shoulder area. It has a short neck, a slightly flared rim, and a flat base. The surface is carefully polished, in some areas to a lustrous finish. The interior is reddish-brown, while the exterior is yellowish-brown with gray spots. The rim features groups of perforations, three of which are preserved in their original state. The diameter of the holes is 0.35 cm. The space between the groups of perforations is decorated with cord impressions. The transition from the neck to the shoulder is adorned with three horizontal lines made with cord, from which, in five places, three vertical lines descend, each 5 cm long, executed using the same technique. At the time of discovery, these lines were filled with a white paste. The space between the groups of lines is decorated at the top with short vertical lines (0.5 cm long), and in the center with a meander ornament made of two parallel lines impressed with cord. The base of the vessel retains the imprint of a textile.
Vessel dimensions: Height: 22 cm; Rim diameter: 15.7 cm; Maximum diameter: 22 cm; Base diameter: 10 cm.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

The compartment of Ancient and Early Medieval History

(Permanent Exhibition “History and Civilization”)

Roman period is represented by various items, including a series of Roman bronze and clay vessels found in a Sarmatian tomb near the village of Olanesti, among which there is a rarity - a clay pot in the shape of a ram.

The compartment of Ancient and Early Medieval History

Multiple gray wares, adornments made of semiprecious stones, bone, and shells, clasps of precious metals belong to the 1st - 3rd centuries AD.

As a result of invasions occurred during the Migration Period and disappearance of the Santana de Mures - Chernyakhov culture (the 3rd - 4th centuries AD) the present-day territory of the Republic of Moldova was terribly devastated. This led to degradation of all spheres of economic and social life of the natives. In the 6th century Slavic tribes moving to the Balkans penetrated the territories inhabited by tenuous Romanic population. Under their influence there occurred changes in the material culture of the Romance.

The settlements are small. Population dwelled in huts which were half-depth in the ground and heated by stone ovens. The main concerns were agriculture and animal husbandry. A certain place in everyday life there had crafts. In contrast to the previous period, potteries were made by hand without using a potter's wheel. Most of the tools are made of bone, horn, and stone. Metal objects are very rare, but not missing.

Archaeological materials from the 6th - 7th centuries AD discovered during investigations of many settlements and necropolises in the Prut-Dniester area reflect the life and activities of the Eastern Romance and aliens in a period marked by major social, economic, and cultural transformations.

Early medieval era is represented by material culture of the first pre-state formations (the 9th - 12th centuries) and early states (the 13th - 14th centuries): vessels, tools, adornments and clothing items, pectoral crosses.

These findings testify to the existence of certain exchange relationships of the Eastern Romance with the neighboring communities, especially the Byzantine Empire. Among these items there are amphorae and vessels made on the potter's wheel, bronze adornments, coins, etc.