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.
Considerations regarding the Getian necropolis from Danceni
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
In specialized and historical literature an opinion took root that the Getian tribes of the eastern Carpathian region particularly those who inhabited the wooded region of Modlova in the 6th -4th centuries B.C. practiced biritualism (inhumation and cremation) in their burial rite.
A strong argument in favor of these opinions is the Danceni multi-layer burial ground. According to them, the Danceni horizon dates back to the 1st millennium B.C. It contains those Scythian-Thracian complexes where biritualism was practiced. Some researches use these complexes in order to argue the Thraco-Getian continuity in the region; others use them to show symbiosis of traditions in the formation of a new archaeological culture in the region, i.e. the Getian culture.
The detailed comparison information on the burial ground and its materials available from publications and re- ports on excavations allowed to single out among “the early Getian” finds of the Danceni burial ground, two hori- zons occurring at different times and ethno-different: Scythian with inhumation of the middle Scythian culture, and typically Getian with cremation which dates back to the end of 5th – beginning of 4th centuries B.C.
Alexandru Levinschi, Eugen Sava
The military camp of Charles XII at Varnița near the Bender Fortress
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Alexandru Levinschi
Preliminary data about initial period of getian settlement in fortified Saharna Mare
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică Chișinău, 2007
Alexandru Levinschi, Ivan Vlasenco
The Getae burial with cremation at the medieval settlement of Poiana I
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Ion Tentiuc, Alexandru Levinschi
Archaeological researches from Buzduganii de Jos in the Ţuțora Valley conducted in 2008. Preliminary research results
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
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
