The artifact is a battle axe made from magmatic rock (diabase) of gray-brown color. It was accidentally discovered in 1966 within the territory of Aluniș village, Rîșcani district. Based on its morphological characteristics, the artifact can be attributed to the Catacomb culture (29th-22nd centuries BCE).
The axe features a massive, elongated naviform body with slightly pronounced shoulders, a short and narrow edge that is flat and circular in cross-section. The blade is slightly curved. The hole was drilled in the maximum width of the object. It is circular in shape with a diameter of 2.2 cm. The surface of the artifact is meticulously polished, worked with great care, and shows no signs of damage or chipping.
Dimensions: Length: 20.0 cm; Maximum width: 8.4 cm; Edge diameter: 5.0 cm; Blade width: 7.0 cm; Weight: 2.3 kg.
Stone battle axes are characteristic of the Catacomb culture communities and are most often found as grave goods, deposited in tombs. Their presence in funerary complexes suggests a multifaceted functionality: weapons, social symbols, and ritual objects. Initially used as weapons, the axes became social symbols for their owners, later acquiring votive significance when deposited in tombs to serve the deceased in the afterlife.
The social symbolic function of stone battle axes is indicated by the high-quality rocks used for their manufacture and the exceptionally meticulous craftsmanship. The large dimensions of the axe from Aluniș support this hypothesis and distinguish it from other examples.
The discovery of stone battle axes outside a funerary complex may indicate their votive deposition. It is difficult to imagine that these exceptionally well-crafted pieces, made from high-quality rocks transported over great distances, could have been abandoned or lost accidentally. It is far more likely that they were deposited for magical-religious purposes, a possibility that may also apply to the stone axe discovered at Aluniș.
The culture and science of Moldova in the 20th century: Personalities
(Permanent Exhibition “History and Civilization”)
This department of the exhibition reflects some aspects of the cultural and scientific life of post-war Moldova through the prism of the activities of outstanding people in various fields: literature, theater, music, cinema, science and education.
Despite the political regime and red terror established in the MSSR after 1944, the Moldavian society followed the laws of dialectics and continued to develop. As a result, the Soviet era was marked not only by horrors, exceptional measures or terror, but also by outstanding achievements in the fields o science, culture, economics, medicine, and so on. The enlightened minds of the nation resisted the policy of assimilation and denationalization; they built, raised children, created valuable works, defended and promoted the national cultural and historical heritage. The creations of these figures represent a genuine cultural and scientific heritage, the value of which will grow over the years.
The relics presented in the exhibition department bring to the forefront the life and work of famous personalities of culture and national science, such as film directors Emil Loteanu and Valeriu Gagiu, actors Eugeniu Ureche and Domnica Darienco, Mihai Volontir and Grigore Grigoriu, artists Mihail Grecu, diva of the national opera Maria Bieşu, actors and such as theatre directors Ion Ungureanu and Sandri Ion Şcurea, Valeriu Cupcea and Veniamin Apostol, academicians Nicolae Corlăteanu and Ilie Untilă, Sergiu Rădăuţanu and Anton Ablov, doctors Nicolae Testemiţanu and Natalia Gheorghiu, writers Andrei Lupan and Aureliu Busuioc, Grigore Vieru and Ion Vatamanu, Dumitru Matcovschi and Leonida Lari, and others.
The artifact is a battle axe made from magmatic rock (diabase) of gray-brown color. It was accidentally discovered in 1966 within the territory of Aluniș village, Rîșcani district. Based on its morphological characteristics, the artifact can be attributed to the Catacomb culture (29th-22nd centuries BCE)...
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.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
