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.
Cantemir’ s wills. Case Study (XVIII - beginning XIX centuries)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Wills are legal and historical documents, of particular importance in the research of family relations, everyday life and mentality of the era. They are an irreplaceable source in studying the evolution forms of inheritance, of the structure of such an act.
About representatives of Cantemir Dynasty have been published numerous essays, articles, monographs, taking into debate various aspects of their work or private life. But so far nobody has stopped detail on wills representatives Cantemir Dynasty, although some moments and passages of wills have been cited and discussed. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze the wills of Cantemir Dynasty representatives: Dmitry Cantemir (1673-1723), Antioch Cantemir (1708-1744), son of Dmitry Cantemir, Cantemir Maria (1700-1757), daughter of Dmitry Cantemir and Casandra, Ecaterina (Smaragda) Cantemir (1720-1761), daughter of Dmitry Cantemir and Anastasia Trubetskaia and Dmitry Cantemir (1749-1820), son of Gen. Constantin Cantemir, the nephew of Antioch Cantemir, the hospodar.
The Cantemir’s wills clearly reflect primarily the family relations. Deprivation of the right to inherit of one child (Dmitry Cantemir’s will the hospodar), the division of wealth between the few brothers (Antioch Cantemir’s will), naming her husband as the main heir (the will of Catherine-Smaragda Cantemir), changing his will in favor of his granddaughter (The will of Dmitry Cantemir, nephew) shows attitude of will maker to the most closest people. Also everyone is very careful in eternal sleep on site, although it shows the simplicity of the funeral.
In terms of the structure will, we can mention the standard form for making testament to Antioch Cantemir. From the fragments we have in our possession ca be affirmed that according tradition were prepared the wills of Mary Catherine and Dmitry Cantemir, the grandson. The testament’s form is different at Dmitry Cantemir, The prince, who established clearly step by step (on points) and addressing to the Russian Queen.
Alina Felea
Voivode/prince between Ideal and Real. Chroniclers’ representations about Tara Moldova (the middle of 17th - the middle of 18th Centuries
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Alina Felea
Divorces in Bessarabia in the first half of the 19th century
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Alina Felea
La population de la ville Soroca (XVI-XIX siècles)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007
Alina Felea
From the history of a family in Bessarabia of the early 19th century: the husband's inability to perform the conjugal duty
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Alina Felea
From family history in the Romanian space: Alcoholism and family relations in the 18th century in Moldavia and in the first decades of the 19th century in Bessarabia
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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
