#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

The National Session of Archaeological Reports (campaign 2021)

April 20, 2022

On April 20, 2022, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the National Archaeological Commission, the National Session of Reports "Archaeological Research in the Republic of Moldova, Campaign 2021" took place. The scientific meeting was organized in partnership by the National Archaeological Agency and the National Museum of History of Moldova on the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites celebrated annually on April 18.

During the session, which took place at the National Museum of History of Moldova, 21 scientific communications were presented. Some of them concern preventive and/or rescue archaeological research coordinated by the National Archaeological Agency, including the investigations at the multi-layered site of Costești-Gârlea (Ialoveni district). We should also mention the preventive investigations at the Soroca Fortress and in the area of the former Church Museum in Chișinău, coordinated by Dr. habil. Sergiu Musteață, which gave very important results. It is also worth mentioning the communication regarding the rescue investigations of the multi-layered site of Lipoveni, presented by Dr. Sergiu Matveev and Dr. Vlad Vornic, who provided interesting discoveries related to the Iron Age, in particular the finds dated the 1^st-2^nd centuries AD.

Among the communications concerning systematic research, it is worth highlighting those regarding the investigations coordinated by Dr. Aurel Zanoci and Dr. Octavian Munteanu and aimed at discoveries in the Saharna and Old Orhei microzones related to the Iron Age and the early Middle Ages. Of particular interest was the communication presented by Mariana Vasilache regarding the interdisciplinary non-invasive research carried out by a joint Moldavian-German team at 14 sites (13 Cucuteni sites and a settlement of the Sântana de Mureș-Chernyakhov culture) in the north of the Republic. Moldova. Dr. Ghenadie Sîrbu presented the unpublished results of excavations at Gordinești II-Stînca goală, carried out on the basis of a Moldavian-Polish project.

In conclusion, the participants confirmed the need for archaeological research using interdisciplinary methods, which must be continued and expanded in the coming years. Archaeological heritage is the hallmark of the national heritage of the Republic of Moldova at the international level, it must be explored, developed and protected!

The program of the session is available here, summaries of communications can be found here.