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.
Memorial house "Alexei Şciusev" represents a heritage object located in the historic part of Chișinău. Here, on October 8, 1873, was born and raised the future to become architect, art historian and theorist, academician Alexei Şciusev.
The architect's parents - Victor and Maria Şciusev - built the property in the 50ies of the 19th century, offering their five children a happy family home and distinguished education. Alexei Şciusev lived in this house until 1897. The house remained in the family until 1928, when it was inherited by Sergei Şciusev, the elder brother of the architect.
On 18 September 1947 in this building was inaugurated the first museum of architecture from the republic, which was later reorganized into the Museum house "Alexei Şciusev." The exhibition showing the life and work of the famous architect was opened on October 15, 1973 and was concentrated in two rooms of the building.
The memorial house becomes from 1990 (by Order of the Ministry of Culture no. 411 of December 28, 1989) a branch of the National Museum of History of Moldova.
From November 2013 to May 2014 the memorial house "Alexei Şciusev" has been totally renovated inside and outside.
The permanent exhibition was conceptually reorganized in 2014; its chronologic and thematic framework was expanded. The memorial exhibition is divided into four sections: "Şciusev family salon", "Living room", "Children's Room" and "Cabinet of architect Alexei Şciusev". The exhibition preserves the vintage ambience, reconstructs the family atmosphere in which Alexei Şciusev, this outstanding personality of national and universal culture, grew up and worked.
Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday, Sunday 9am – 4pm. Admission to the Museum is stopped 20 minutes before closing.
Closed: On Mondays and Saturdays, 1, 7, and 8 January, 8 March, first and second day of Easter, Memorial Easter, 1 and 9 May, 27 and 31 August, 25 December.
Admission Fees
Adults - 50 MDL Pensioners, Students - 20 MDL School students - 10 MDL
Free admission:
Preschool children (up to the age of 7), children from residential institutions, children with disabilities (up to the age of 18) and their companion, military personnel, official delegations and delegations of a cultural nature (within the limits of the museum's operating hours), employees of the national museum network, the Ministry of Culture and national institutions in the field of cultural heritage, holders of ICOM and ICOMOS cards, war veterans (pursuant to Law no. 317/2024), for the participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the damage at the Chernobyl C.A.E.
Free admission for all visitors: the last Thursday of every 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 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
