#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

Movie night under the stars, Third Edition

The National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the 3rd edition of the Movie night under the stars, in collaboration with the Association on Charity and Promotion of Civic Culture. The event was held in the courtyard on the museum every night of Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the period between June 30 and July 9, starting at 21.00.

For the 2016 edition, were chosen six international productions from the 50s and 60s of the twentieth century - comedies and dramas, films with box office success and with international film festivals awards. Below are listed the films from this year's edition:

• 30th June, Операция «Ы» и другие приключения Шурика / Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures (1965), 90 minutes
Directed by Leonid Gayday
Cast: Aleksandr Demyanenko, Aleksei Smirnov, Vladimir Basov, Yuri Nikulin, Georgy Vitsin, etc.
• 1st July, Берегись автомобиля / Beware of the Car (1966), 94 minutes
Directed by Eldar Ryazanov
Cast: Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Oleg Yefremov, Andrei Mironov, Yevgeniy Yevstigneyev etc.
• 2nd July, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), 91 minutes
Directed: Jacques Demy
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon etc.
• 7th July, Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez (1964), 90 minutes
Directed by Jean Girault
Cast: Louis de Funès, Geneviève Grad, Michel Galabru etc.
• 8th July, Roman Holiday (1953), 118 minutes
Directed by William Wyler
Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert etc.
• 9th July, Singing in the Rain (1952), 103 minutes
Directed by Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds etc.

The films were screened in the original language with subtitles in Romanian.

At the event was presented an exhibition of photography (11 young photographers exhibited their works) and painting (made by Adriana Adam, Eugenia Levițchi and Irina Baltag). In the program of the six movie nights were included some musical moments performed by young artists and bands such as: Alexandra Cebotari, „Cosmos în buzunar" (Cosmos in the Pocket), „Altă Planetă" (Another Planet), "Miriam" etc.

The event "Movie night under the stars" gathered around 800 movie lovers in the courtyard of the National Museum of History of Moldova.