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.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
The article is devoted to variety and character of the Scythian Amazon’s armaments. Archaeological finds of weapons and equipment of militant women is almost identical to the arms from the written and artistic sources. In general, women panoply completely consistent with the armament of the Scythian troops. Amazons preferred missile weapon, and almost did not use melee weapons. Amazons were studying the military art from an early childhood.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Images of armed Amazons: 1-2 - on the golden Calaf from the kurgan Bol’shaja Bliznitsa; 3 - on red-figured vases. Fig. 2. Images of Amazons on red-figured pelikai. Fig. 3. The types of arrowheads from the burials of armed women: 1-2 - kurgan 9 near Staryj Merchyk village, 3-4 - kurgan 6 near Nowoje village; 5 - kurgan 34 from Chertomlyk cemetery; 6 - kurgan 13 of BOF group. 1, 4, 5 - bronze, 2 - iron, 3, 6 - wood. Fig. 4. Weapon from the burial mounds of Amazons: javelin-heads (1, 4) and spear points (2, 5), butt (3), slingshot stones (6). 1-3 - kurgan 13 from Steblev cemetery; 4-6 - kurgan 5 near Zelenoje village. 1-5 - iron, 6 - stone. Fig. 5. Scale armor from kurgan 5 near Zelenoje village. Fig. 6. Details of armor from kurgan 5 near Zelenoje village. Fig. 7. Details of bridle from kurgan 13 near Steblev village.
Елена Фиалко
The armed women of Early Iron Age in the Northern Pontic: social aspects
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VI [XXI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Elena Fialko, Yurii Boltryk
Textiles from Scythian burial complexes
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], 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
