The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency.
The ceramic assemblage consists of a large storage vessel (pithos) with a capacity of 20 litres (h = 39.2 cm; d = 35.0 cm), decorated with a raised band below the rim; a medium-sized bowl with a capacity of 2.5 litres (h = 16.9 cm; d = 23.2 cm); a medium-sized jug with a capacity of 0.6 litres (h = 12.0 cm; d = 13.4 cm); and the base of a jar-shaped vessel.
The coarse handmade pottery was produced using the coil-building technique, by stacking and shaping coils of clay prepared from a paste tempered with crushed fired clay (grog) and sand. The vessel surfaces are uneven and covered with a yellowish-red slip featuring black patches, while the core of the vessel walls is black in colour.
The three vessels preserved intact display well-defined biconical shapes, with their maximum diameter at the middle of the body and straight or slightly oblique rims with rounded edges. Pottery of this type is characteristic of the Early Medieval cultural area of the northern and northwestern Black Sea region, dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries. East of the Dniester River, on the territory of present-day Ukraine, analogous pottery is found in Penkovka-type settlements, while in the Carpathian-Dniester region it is characteristic of settlements belonging to the Costișa-Botoșana-Hansca cultural group.
Within the Prut-Dniester region, coarse biconical pottery is generally represented by fragments and only relatively rarely by complete vessels, such as those discovered at Hansca, Dănceni, Recea, Seliște, Păhărniceni, and other sites. This type of pottery constituted an indispensable component of the local material culture during the 5th-7th centuries. In this context, the discovery at Bălceana of an almost intact set of coarse biconical vessels represents a relatively rare find of considerable scientific importance.
According to certain hypotheses, the tradition of coarse biconical pottery dating to the 5th-7th centuries originated in the North Pontic region. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these biconical ceramic vessels were the result of contemporary ethnocultural interactions, developing simultaneously across the vast territory extending from the Carpathian Mountains to the Dnieper River and the Seversky Donets.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
In the questioned study, one have proposed to point out the Movilești dynasty along with famous Polish families and afterwards, the spread of the Movilești dynasty in Europe. One have emphasized that apart from the fact that the Movilești have affirmed as being a ruling dynasty in Moldova on the feminine line, on this particular line the dynasty has preserved its continuity. The masculine line of Ieremia Movila has fallen apart after the first generation. On the other hand, however, on the feminine line, his daughters, throughout their marriages with the polish lords, have preserved the gender fond of his ancestors, and his successors have related with famous royal families from Europe. Raina’s Movlieanca Wisniowiecki grandnephew, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki, has been chosen king of Poland (1669-1673).
Anna Jablonowska the granddaughter of Maria Movileanca Potocki, was mother of king Stanislaw Ist Leszczyński and grandmother of the queen Maria Leszczyńska, the wife of Ludovic the XV-th, the king of France. Another granddaughter of Maria Movileanca Potocki, Ludwika Karolina Radziwill has been married twice to Ludwig Hohenzollern and Karol Filip, lord of Nierburg.
Considering the exposed earlier, one can utterly confirm, that as European royal dynasties are proud of their continuity, so as Moldova can pride itself with Movilești Dynasty, which spread the “Moldovan blood” of royalty through Europe.
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The destiny of woman in the history of Moldavia. Myths and realities about Catherine the Circassian – the second wife of the hospodar Vasile Lupu
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The first testament of Maria Cantemir, from 1725
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XI [XXVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Epistolary heritage of women’s texts. Private correspondence of the Cantemir sisters
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Helena Krasowska, Polacy w naddniestrzu. Świadectwo zanikającego dziedzictwa (Poles in Transnistria. A testimony to a disappearing heritage). Wydawnictwo: Studium Europy Wschodniej Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa, 2024, 350 str. ISBN 978-83-67208-22-2
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVIII [XXXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Mysteries, myths and realities regarding the testament of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
The ceramic vessel set was discovered accidentally in October 2025 in the southwestern part of the village of Bălceana, Hâncești District, approximately 1.2 km from the Lăpușnița River. The archaeological materials were recovered by the National Archaeological Agency...
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.