#Exhibit of the Month

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.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

"When Sweden was ruled from Moldova"

1 - 20 February 2013

On February 1, 2013, in the upstairs hall of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova there was opened the exhibition „When Sweden was ruled from Moldova" designed and built by the Royal Armory (Stockholm) and the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova. Curators of the exhibition: Dr. Per Sandin and Dr. hab. Elena Ploșnița.

It is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Kalabalik at Varnița and Swedish King Charles XII's stay in Bender and Varnița from 1709 to 1713. The exhibition aims to elucidate a significant joint part of the Moldavian-Swedish history related to the name of the brave King Charles XII and offers a retrospective of the events that took place in the early 18^th century.

Content of the exhibition is divided into two parts. The first part brings together images of various items from the collections that are part of the national heritage of Sweden: portrait of the Swedish king; Charles XII's personal items (cassette, wig, otter-skin cap, black felt hat); panorama of Constantinople; photograph of the monument dedicated to the king at Varnița, which was made in 1920s; weapons of the past.

The second part of the exhibition includes authentic objects from the collections of National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova. Among these there are "Plan of Swedish king's camp" made by B. Eitner in 1840 and a collection of objects (nails, candleholder, horseshoe, cannonballs, window glass, ceramic and glass vessels of the 17^th - 18^th centuries) discovered during archaeological excavations at Varnița in 1993.

The exhibition is accompanied by an essay on the life of Swedish King Charles XII by Dr. Per Sandin, in Romanian, English, and Russian, and a leaflet in Romanian and English prepared by Elena Ploșnița.

The exhibition will be open to visitors until February 20, 2013.

#Exhibit of the Month

Stone Battle Axe Discovered at Aluniș, Rîșcani District

"When Sweden was ruled from Moldova"

1 - 20 February 2013

#Exhibit of the Month