#Exhibit of the Month

One of the great technical achievements that revolutionized the idea of time and space, opening a new era in the history of communication, is telegraphy. It is based on the transmission of electrical signals through a cable over long distances, allowing people to communicate instantly. The telegraph spread very quickly and a network of wires stretched around the world.

In 1837, the American painter and physicist Samuel Morse invented the first electromagnetic device for telegraphy, patented in 1840. To send messages by wire, Morse developed in 1838 a simple code of dots and dashes, which represented the letters of the alphabet, known as "Morse code ".

Both Morse code and the telegraph machine were improved over time, with the telegraph becoming the most widespread system of communication and information transmission for more than a century, until the advent of the Internet. The telegraph system consisted of a series of stations repeaters along the transmission line route. Each station had an operator who received and transmitted messages by telegraph. The Morse machine transmitted about 25 words per minute, which were recorded in code on a paper tape. The operator in charge of transmitting the message would decode it and write it on paper using a special typewriter.

In Bessarabia, the telegraph entered in 1860: on April 8, the Bender telegraph station began its activity, and on April 24, the one in Chisinau, following the construction of the first Odesa-Chisinau-Leova telegraph line. Currently, telegraph services have been discontinued. The only ones who still use coded communication are radio amateurs.

The Morse telegraph machine shown comes from the Osinoostrovsky electrotechnical plant, Soviet Union, and dates back to 1934. The exhibit was restored by Mihail Culașco.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

“Treasures of the Past (artifacts of gold and silver, 5th millennium BC - 18th century AD)”

(permanent)

Expoziția „Comorile trecutului” (vestigii din aur și argint, mileniul V a. Chr. - sec. XVIII)

The exhibition brings together the most representative objects made of gold and silver, which originate from the territory of the Republic of Moldova and are preserved in the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova. Some of them are true masterpieces of Pre- and Proto-historic goldsmiths' work, as well as that of classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. e earliest pieces in the exhibition are temporal rings and bushings for scepters discovered at Giurgiulești (Cahul District), which are the result of the work of craftsmen, who lived 6500 years ago. Also there are presented temple rings of the Bronze Age found in different localities of the country.

Greek antiquity is represented by a series of gold artifacts of exceptional importance and flawless execution, which were found in Scythian burial mounds. Among them we should mention gold torques found at Dubăsari, set of objects that belonged to a Scythian priestess found at Nicolscoe (Slobozia District), and other jewelry items and parts of harness, such as those from Hagimus (Căușeni District), Butor (Grigoriopol District), etc. A special place belongs to the Getae artifacts found at Saharna Mare (Rezina District), Hansca (Ialoveni District), and Stolniceni (Hâncești District).

Sarmatian culture is represented in the exhibition by the ornaments of gold and semiprecious stones found at Mocra (Râbnița District), Cuconeștii Vechi (Edineț District), Hrușca (Camenca District), and others. Several exhibition showcases contain objects belonging to the Sântana de Mureș culture, represented by gold and silver ornaments and clothing accessories from Dănceni (Ialoveni District), Petrești (Ungheni District), Budești (Criuleni District), etc.

Presentation of medieval artifacts starts with the Făurești treasury Criuleni District) composed of Byzantine electrum coins of the 10th century and gold temporal rings. Of particular interest are the ornaments and kufic dirhams from Echimăuți (Rezina District) and Alcedar (Şoldănești District) and a Mamluk mace from Balabanu (Taraclia District). The exhibition is complemented by a number of medieval coin hoards and ornaments discovered in different parts of the country.

“Treasures of the Past artifacts of gold and silver, 5th millennium BC - 18th century AD”