#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

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Events Archive

Round table "Archaeologist Emanuil RIKMAN - 100 years since his birth"

April 13, 2023

On April 13, the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the round table "Archaeologist Emanuil RIKMAN - 100 years since his birth", organized by the Archeology Sector of the museum in partnership with the Faculty of History and Philosophy of the State University of Moldova and National Archaeological Agency.

The event was organized within the project "Museum heritage and historical memory: research, interpretation, presentation" (number 20.80009.0807.43), financed by the State Program (2020-2023) and aimed to bring the scientific work to the fore of archaeologist Emanuil Rikman and to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.

The event was opened by dr. hab Eugen Sava, General Director NMHM. The round table was attended by numerous specialists in the field of archeology and ancient history, as well as enthusiasts of these subjects, who followed with interest the communications presented by the special guests.

Among them were dr. hab., prof. univ. Gheorghe Postică, who spoke about the scientific legacy of the scientist Emanuil A. Rikman, dr. Sergiu Matveev, who presented the archaeological sites of Emanuil Rikman in the North of the Republic of Moldova, the excavations at Sobari, dr. Vlad Vornic, who discussed the archaeological sites of Emanuil Rikman in the central and southern areas of the Republic of Moldova, the excavations at Budești and Costești, as well as dr. assoc. prof. Ion Tentiuc, who presented the archaeological collections of Emanuil Rikman from the funds of the National Museum of History of Moldova.

The round table ended with discussions and evocations about Emanuil Rikman and with the inauguration in the upstairs hall of an exhibition dedicated to the archaeologist Emanuil Rikman, which will be open for visits from April 13 to May 24, 2023, in the upper hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova, str. 31 August 1989, 121A.

This scientific event once again demonstrated the importance of research, interpretation and presentation of cultural and historical heritage and represented an excellent opportunity to reflect on Emanuil Rikman's contribution to the development of archeology and ancient history in the Republic of Moldova.