#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.

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Events Archive

Celebrating the International Museum Day

18 May 2017

In 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) established the International Museum Day, which is celebrated on May 18, in order to recognize the role of these cultural institutions in the development of society. This day aims to help promote the idea that museums are an important means of cultural exchange, mutual enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.

Every year on May 18, history, science and art are celebrated around the world through special programs.

The program dedicated to the International Museum Day:

• Free access to museum exhibitions
10:00-18:00

• Creative and educational workshops for children promoting the country's historical and cultural heritage and the need to protect it

10:00-17:00

• Interactive lesson and a competition on this year's theme of the International Museum Day - Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums
14:30

• Concert of classical music performed by the quartet of the Sergei Lunkevich National Philharmonic
13:40

• Opening Ceremony of the International Museum Day 2017. In the program: awarding the Ministry of Culture Prize for achievements in the field of museums, awarding the Diplomas of the Ministry of Culture for remarkable results in museum work 14:00

• Presentation of a series of postage stamps "Treasures of the Past. Ancient Artifacts from the Treasury of the Republic of Moldova" organized by the State Enterprise "Poșta Moldovei". The philatelic issue consists of 4 stamps depicting 4 exhibits from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, an envelope and the first postmark.
14:40

• Opening of the exhibition of clocks from the museum collection "The Clock in the Course of Time"
15:00

• Performance of the quartet of the Sergei Lunkevich National Philharmonic
15:30