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. VII [XXII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Нумизматические материалы по эфталитам
В данной статье исследуются нумизматические материалы, относящиеся к эфталитам, которые проживали на территории Центральной Азии и сопредельных территориях в IV-VI вв. н.э. Именно этот народ сумел в V-VI вв.н.э. установить свое господство на довольно обширной территории. В пик своего могущества границы эфталитского государства простирались с востока на запад: от Хотана (Восточный Туркестан) до границ Ирана, и с севера на юг: от степей нынешнего Казахстана до северо-западной Индии, то есть на большей части территорий Центральной Азии, Афганистана, Пакистана, части Индии и Китая (ряд оазисов Восточного Туркестана).
Период IV-VI вв. н.э. в истории Центральной Азии наиболее слабо изучен. Это объясняется тем, что данные письменных источников, относящихся к этому времени, очень скудны и носят отрывочный характер. Сопоставление их не дает нам полной картины. Археологические материалы также очень ограничены, а датировка их часто носит приблизительный и неточный характер. Нумизматические находки в какой-то мере раскрывают некоторые неизвестные моменты истории, особенно в том, что касается денежного обращения. Но, несмотря на вышесказанное, совокупность имеющихся фактов позволяет в большей или меньшей степени воссоздать картину политической и социально-экономической жизни этого региона.
Other articles by the author(s):
Aydogdy Kurbanov
The Hephthalites: iconographical materials
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VIII [XXIII], 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.