#Exhibit of the Month

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.

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Publications

Library „Tyragetia"

Elena Ploșnița

Museum. Traditionalism and modernity

Biblioteca „Tyragetia” XXXVII, Chișinău, 2022, 210 p. ISBN 978-9975-80-903-0; 978-9975-166-26-3.

The book "Museum. Traditionalism and modernity" is a theoretical reflection on what is a museum institution between traditionalism and modernity. Specific topics that draw up the museum between tradition and modernity are considered. The systematization and analysis of the latest achievements in Moldavian museography has been carried out. Both traditional and innovative processes in the evolution of the contemporary museum as a public institution are traced.

The work is focused on the problems of museums in the Republic of Moldova, the evolution of these institutions over the past 30 years in the dimension between traditionalism and modernity. The main milestones of this evolution are indicated, with many meanings, contradictions, and changes that mark it. In order to present a complete picture of the issue, a systematization and analysis of the latest achievements in Moldavian museography in three specific areas is given, taking into account the specifics of the functioning of a museum: collections, exposition, communication. The book may be of interest to specialists, since for the first time it approaches, in a comprehensive way, the problems of traditionalism and modernity in the museum system of the Republic of Moldova.

The monograph comes as an argument in support of the motivations for reforming and modernizing the traditional museums in the Republic of Moldova, and we hope that it will help museum professionals in the process of internal and external reforming and modernization of the institution. The contemporary museum in the Republic of Moldova remains a traditional one, designed even today as an ordinary institution, but it can become modern only through reform and reorganization, formulating a clear mission and specific goals, through efficient management of collections, by attracting visitors, by developing and implementing national and international projects.

Contents

Preface

1. MUSEUM COLLECTIONS: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS

1.1. Museum collections management coordinates
1.2. Scientific records for museum cultural values
1.3. Research and classification of museum collections
1.4. Digitization of museum collections
1.5. Nominal assessment of museum cultural heritage

2. MUSEUM EXHIBITION: APPROACHES

2.1. The concept of museum exhibition
2.2. Typology and methods of organizing a museum exhibition
2.3. Permanent exhibition - a traditional necessity or a modern bagatelle?
2.4. Museum exhibition and information technologies

3. MUSEUM AUDIENCES: COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION

3.1. Public relations/museum's relationship with the public
3.2. Traditional and modern museum communication
3.3. Education in a modern museum
3.4. Knowing visitors is a modern imperative

CONCLUSIONS

Bibliography
List of abbreviations
Summary (in English)
Summary
Annexes
Index of names
Index of museums