#Exhibit of the Month

This clay vessel was discovered in 1982 by archaeologist V. Sorochin during excavations of a burial mound (no. 1) located in the village of Speia, Dubăsari District. It originates from grave no. 5 and is dated to the 4th millennium BC, belonging to the Usatovo culture.
The vessel was found in a child's grave. The burial pit had an oval shape, and the deceased was laid in a crouched position (similar to the fetal posture), on the left side. A total of five vessels were uncovered in this grave: three near the back, one at the feet, and one in the pelvic area.
The cultural attribution of this funerary complex was determined based on the burial rite and grave goods. This culture is characterized by the specific construction of the burial pit, as well as the positioning and orientation of the deceased toward the east and northeast.

The vessel is shaped from clay mixed with finely crushed shell. Its walls curve gradually toward the top, with the widest diameter at the shoulder area. It has a short neck, a slightly flared rim, and a flat base. The surface is carefully polished, in some areas to a lustrous finish. The interior is reddish-brown, while the exterior is yellowish-brown with gray spots. The rim features groups of perforations, three of which are preserved in their original state. The diameter of the holes is 0.35 cm. The space between the groups of perforations is decorated with cord impressions. The transition from the neck to the shoulder is adorned with three horizontal lines made with cord, from which, in five places, three vertical lines descend, each 5 cm long, executed using the same technique. At the time of discovery, these lines were filled with a white paste. The space between the groups of lines is decorated at the top with short vertical lines (0.5 cm long), and in the center with a meander ornament made of two parallel lines impressed with cord. The base of the vessel retains the imprint of a textile.
Vessel dimensions: Height: 22 cm; Rim diameter: 15.7 cm; Maximum diameter: 22 cm; Base diameter: 10 cm.

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Events Archive

Symposium "The Union of 1918 in museum collections"

April 12, 2018

On April 12, 2018, at the National Museum of History of Moldova was held the Symposium "The Union from 1918 in museum collections". The event was attended by historians and museographers from various Romanian and Moldovan institutions, representatives of the Museum of History of Romania (Bucharest), the Museum of the Union (Alba Iulia), the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (Chişinău), the National Museum of Literature "M. Kogâlniceanu" (Chişinău), the Museum of Cahul Region, the Institute of History (Chişinău) and the State Archival Service of the Republic of Moldova.

The works of the Symposium began with a presentation by Ion Negrei, researcher at the Institute of History of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova, which reviewed the chronology of the events from Bessarabia in 1917-1918, especially the works of the historical meeting of Sfatul Ţării (the Parliament) on March 27th, 1918. All 13 papers presented were focused on the thematic of the symposium evoking moments, places, personalities that marked the history of the event.

The symposium was an attempt to approach with reverence the content of the museum heritage focusing on the theme of the Union, tangled testimonies coming from various categories of pieces: documents, photographs, postcards, medals, original personal objects, presented in a form of recovery and re-evaluation. Testimonies about Bessarabian personalities in the collections of the National Museum of History of Romania, Documents of the Union from the collection of the Museum of the Union from Alba Iulia, From the KGB archive - to the museum heritage. The history of a collection, The Mărăşeşti Book of poet Alexei Mateevici, The evocation of the Union for half a century, Photographic, documentary and numismatic testimonies with memorial value from the collection of the NMHM - are just a few of the subjects that have marked the contribution of the museographers to the process of collective memory formation in connection with the events of March 27, 1918 - December 1, 1918, these testimonies being a contribution from the perspective of writing history.

The event was part of the series of events, dedicated to the Centenary of the Great Union, organized by the National Museum of History of Moldova.