Tyragetia

31-54

Authors: Andrei Emilciuc

In addressing the issue of the circulation of West-European books in Bessarabia we analyzed especially archival sources, mainly the Fund 2 - The Office of the Governor of Bessarabia, of the National Archive of Republic of Moldova, which contains relevant information on ways of distribution of West-European literature and governmental measures adopted in order to prevent the public access to the works which violated the Russian law of censorship. The cases we review in the article prove the fact that French, German or English literature was insufficiently distributed in the Russian Empire, and that's why Romanian Principalities, or Hapsburg Empire were an attractive source of purchasing it. From the analysis of the titles filled in the customs-blanks that were sent to Censorship Committee for Foreign Books in Sankt Petersburg, we noticed that the most West-European books reaching Bessarabia were literary and encyclopedic writings that were brought for the purpose of recreational reading and/ or the completing of personal libraries. But there were also cases when West-European books were brought for scientific and professional purposes. In conclusion, we can say that West-European books circulated in Bessarabia due to predilection of local society for the French and German literature. Of course in addition to these arguments, it is to be reminded that southern Bessarabia was colonized by Germans, Swiss, Polish, Bulgarians, etc., something which definitely generated greater demand for this kind of literature. Being a border province Bessarabia had multiple ways of penetrations of western writings, either by terrestrial ways, from the Habsburg Empire or Romanian Principalities, or by sea - from the rest of Europe. Also very close to Bessarabia there was situated the city port of Odessa, a cosmopolitan center of the Russian Empire's international trade on the Black Sea. However, we shall mention that the Russian government control, meant to prevent the intrusion of „harmful ideas", limited to a large extent the circulation of West-European books in Bessarabia.

65-70

Authors: Silvia Barcari

Due to the geographical position of the Prut-Dniester and the Lower Danube regions, there were lying the important trade routes and the important transit trade was carried out that in some ways contributed to their economic development. Through Transylvania and Wallachia there passed trade route linking the Western and Central Europe with the Black Sea region and the Balkan Peninsula and reaching the cities of the Adriatic coast; through the area of future Moldova there passed a road connecting the Baltic and the Black Seas. In transit trade there were involved Italian merchants from the Levant, Armenian merchants of Poland, and Transylvanian Saxons, who traded here "overseas goods": from the East - pepper, spices, from Western and Central Europe - cloth, linen, weapons, agricultural tools. In return, foreign merchants were buying in these areas cattle, horses, hides, wax, grain, etc. Need in money, especially the fractional coins often needed in small business transactions, has led to cutting coins into equal parts and stamping local imitations of foreign coins. In the 14th century in the mouth of the Danube there is attested the existence of "banks" and "bankers" engaged in exchange of money. Trading activity was stimulated by the transit of goods on major trade routes of Europe, as well as the opening of the local market for high-quality goods of the European market. The expansion of trade exchange contributed to the economic prosperity of the independent Romanian states and increasing of their military power that brought them to the international political arena.

81-88

Authors: Andrey Krasnozhon

For many years four Moldavian plates of the 15th century from the walls of the fortress of Belgorod were considered lost. The earliest publications of these most important epigraphic monuments (in 1848, 1889, and 1901) have long been a source for periodization of the defense complex of medieval Belgorod for several generations of its researchers. Without access to the originals, researchers had to trust to published translations, drawings, and photographs (not the best quality). In the beginning of 2013 these plates have been found in the collections of the Kherson Regional Museum. Even the preliminary work with them already revealed a family coat of arms of Moldavian Ruler Alexander II, as well as the fact that one of the plates, contrary to popular opinion in historiography, is not related to the construction of the fortress, which violates the generally accepted ideas about the chronology of the monument.

97-110

Authors: Lilia Zabolotnaia

In this study the author came to some specific conclusions. In particular, it is safe to say that the marriage between Vasile Lupu and Catherine was far from accidental. As the sources of the era attest, all the details have been well thought out. Almost immediately after the death of his wife, Vasile Lupu sends the ambassadorial cortege to get his second wife, hence not respecting even the basic mourning traditions. One may also assume that perhaps in that situation government and political interests were high above his emotions. Vasile Lupu was an ambitious, far-sighted politician and a brilliant strategist. His plan was to expand the Moldovan boarders. He prepared his only son Ioan as future ruler of Wallachia. However, his plans failed after the son's death, and he was left without an heir. Vasile Lupu was well aware that he had to urgently resolve the dynastic crisis. He needed a young, strong and healthy wife, able to give birth to his heirs. The choice fell on Catherine the Circassian. How and under which circumstances this choice has been made remains an unsolved mystery. Unfortunately, we do not have any sources that could provide a reliable answer to this question. At the same time, we do not deny the well-known and hackneyed opinion in the historical literature that this marriage took place in a certain political context, for the Moldavian-Tatar mutual support in the political, military and economic spheres.

115-127

Authors: Alina Felea

Epitaph is an important source for the study of attitudes towards life and death. In our opinion, the epitaphs from Moldova and neighboring countries of the 17th - early 19th centuries can be classified according to many criteria: 1) literary form; 2) volume of information; 3) epitaphs, which are based on a deep family affection, including those prepared by a person for himself; 4) subject of narration; 5) gender of the deceased; 6) age of the deceased; 7) social status of the deceased, etc. In this article, we present several types of epitaphs, which are characteristic for the Romanian territory, Russia, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In terms of the expression of grief in the collective mentality, epitaphs are similar regardless of the country. The heartache of parents, spouses, and relatives is expressed in the inscriptions on tombstones through a dialogue with parents, monologue, dialogue with the grave, and appeal to God.

135-144

Authors: Irina Cereş

At the end of the 18th - early 19th centuries, the trade relations between the Principality of Moldova and the Russian Empire were determined by a number of new features that represent a new stage in the development of economic relations between the countries. Intensification of trade relations between the Principality of Moldova and Russia was achieved with the signing of the Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji. Russian freedom of navigation and trade on the Danube and the Black Sea led to a weakening of the tercentennial Ottoman monopoly in the Romanian principalities, contributing to the development of foreign trade with Russia, Austria and other European countries.

149-156

Authors: Liliana Condraticova

Les objets liturgiques des premières décennies du XIXe siècle font partie intégrante du patrimoine culturel du notre pays, que doivent être protégés. Dans cet article l'auteur analyse les suivants problèmes: la création des bijoutiers qui ont créés dans les premières décennies du XIXe siècle des objets liturgiques; l'auteur indique les matériaux principaux et la recommandation, après 1827 année sur l'utilisation de l'argent pour la fabrication des objets liturgiques; la liste des bijoux des églises locales et les caractéristiques du style des bijoux de cette période. L'étude de l'art religieux est très importante pour rétablir l'image intégrale du développement d'art des bijoux de la Bessarabie.

167-174

Authors: Igor Cereteu

In the library of the Monastery of Saint Theodore Tyron in Chisinau we found a manuscript entitled "Register of the Clergy of the Nativity Cathedral in Chisinau", which contains a lot of information about the clergymen of the cathedral during 1840-1851. The manuscript is written in Russian and covers 1840, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1848, 1850, and 1851. Based on these data, we find that most of the representatives of the clergy of the Nativity Cathedral were not local people, but came from Kiev, Podolia, and Kherson provinces of the Russian Empire. Of the local natives there were accepted only those who knew Russian well enough, because church services in this temple were held only in Russian.

185-189

Authors: Cristina Gherasim

After the annexation of the territory between the Dniester and Prut, the tsarist administration sought to attract the Bessarabian nobility. The main method to solve this problem was the accession of the Bessarabian nobility to the Russian nobility. However, achievement of this goal required not only time, but also a lot of effort on the part of the Bessarabian boyars, who had to confirm not only their aristocratic origins, ancestry and titles, but also the ownership of the lands they owned before the annexation. Therefore, for many years Bessarabian nobles had to provide the Russian administration with the documents of their noble origin.

203-213

Authors: Dinu Poştarencu

The article contains a number of additions and clarifications regarding the biography of Ioan Pelivan - a prominent person of political and national liberation movement of the Bessarabian Romanians against Tsarist rule. There are given more information about the ancestry of Ioan Pelivan, as well as his study at the Religious School and the Theological Seminary in Chisinau. In 1901, while studying law at the Yuryev (Dorpat) University (1898-1903), he was granted a scholarship of the Executive Board (Uprava) of the Bessarabian Provincial Zemstvo. In 1912, against I. Pelivan, who at the time served as city judge in Balti, a complaint was filed in which he was accused of insulting. Finally, the application was considered by the Governing Senate, which acquitted him. In the final part, based on previously unpublished archival documents there is indicated the real cause for the offset of Ioan Pelivan from the position of Balti city judge. Copies of the documents are annexed to the article.

221-234

Authors: Maria Danilov

Paul Gore (1875-1927) - an outstanding figure of the socio-political, scientific and cultural life of Bessarabia at the beginning of 20th century, was also known among his contemporaries as a keen collector of old and rare books. Undoubtedly, the most valuable part of the library of Paul Gore consisted of books on the history of Bessarabia. Documents from the National Archives of the Republic of Moldova in Chişinău confirm that he inherited a large part of books from his father Gheorghe Gore (1839-1909). A study of the Paul Gore Fund at the National Archives of Romania in Bucharest gave us a lot of documentary evidence of the destiny of this Bessarabian noble library, which later became a property of the King Ferdinand Fund. However, the fate of its most valuable part - books on the history of Bessarabia, consisted of 651 units of the total number of 6456 volumes - is still unknown.

241-252

Authors: Marian Petcu

After World War I, Romania signed a series of political agreements with some neighboring countries, which were associated with important arrangements in the field of economics, journalism, science, culture, etc. In this context there were carried out some negotiations, which have lead to the concluding of journalistic agreements between the countries of the Little Entente (Sinaia, 1925), Poland and Romania (Galaţi, 1926), and also contributed to the VI Congress of the Latin Press (Bucharest, 1927). These were important (and expensive) events with the participation of the journalist community, the effects of which are difficult to assess. Their generally acknowledged results are the maintenance of a certain regional stability, a more intense exchange of information between partner countries, and the improvement of the image of the country. The paper contains historical sketches on the three above-mentioned events.

269-280

Authors: Nicolae Fuştei

The League of Militant Atheists (previously - Union of the Godless; Society of Friends of the Newspaper "The God- less") was an atheistic and antireligious organization of workers and intelligentsia that developed in USSR under the influence of the ideological and cultural views and policies of the Communist Party in 1925-1947. It consisted of Party members, members of the Komsomol youth movement, workers and army veterans. The proposed study is dedicated to the research of the origins, formation and activities of the League of Militant Atheists in the USSR and Moldavian ASSR.

291-303

Authors: Igor Caşu

The article focuses on the national movement in the former Moldavian SSR in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Based on newly disclosed documents from the archive of the former Central Committee of Moldavia, the author analyses the relation between the CPM-CPSU and the informal organizations related to a wide range of issues pertaining to the language question, re-evaluation of the Stalinist repressions, relation with Romania and so on. An important role in the breakdown of the Communist regime in Moldavia was played by students, intellectuals, writers especially, but also historians. One of the main conclusions of the article is that the Communist Party of Moldavia propagated and supported with its entire means the idea of preserving Moldova within Soviet Union, up to late August 1991, during the abortive putsch in Moscow against Gorbachev. This reality contrasts with the post-Soviet pretensions of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova that CPM sustained the idea of independent Moldova in late 1980s-ealry 1990s.

311-315

Authors: Gheorghe Pisica

After the attainment of independence, on the political scene of the Republic of Moldova there appeared a number of political parties and movements having unequal role in political life. This collation refers to the number of existing parties, which are part of the system. According to political scientist Jean Blondel, a party system is characterized not only by the quantity, but also by the share of parties in the system. Currently in Moldova there are 36 parties, but only 4 of them are present in the Parliament, the rest having a very low rate of participation in political life. Another feature of the multi-party system is the political continuity, which ensures a continuing evolution of political life through successive governments. In the case of the Republic of Moldova, there is a reverse process, sometimes there is observed even continuity in the negative sense. But in recent years we can see the beginning of positive continuity, which can lead to the consolidation of the party system, provided that the parties will continue to improve their work. Hereafter the author will analyze the multi-party system by the criterion of electoral volatility, i.e. whether a party has a stable electorate. There will also be considered types of relationships between parties and voters, as well as the level of mutual influence.

325-328

Authors: Sergiu Dobrea

Weapons have always been and will be of great importance in the history of mankind. Almost all social and historical development of human civilization is intrinsically linked to the invention and improvement of the various models of weapons. Focusing on the history of firearms, we find that their origin remains somewhat obscure. It is well known that the Chinese invented and used gunpowder for firearms since the beginning of the 11th century, and in Europe the formula of gunpowder spread in the 14th century through Arab mediation. Over time, the need to improve the technical and ballistic characteristics of firearms increased. Inventions, innovations, and more or less successful attempts to technical improvement have led to the great development of firearms over the centuries.

345-356

Authors: Elena Postică

Red Terror, as well as the „Soviet Dream", began simultaneously with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Since November 7, 1917, in the territory of the present Republic of Moldova, first in the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and since 1940 in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, the totalitarian communist regime committed a series of crimes against humanity: genocide, political repressions, and the organized famine. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were persecuted for their political or religious beliefs, by national or social reasons. Hundreds of thousands of victims were deported to Siberia, sentenced to death, subjected to imprisonment or starved to death in psychiatric institutions. The exhibition „Soviet Moldova: Between Myths and the Gulag" brings together 730 museum pieces: photographs, documents, letters from Siberia, the posters of those years, the anti-Soviet slogans and leaflets, lists of confiscated property, personal belongings of former deportees and political prisoners, and other historical relics, recreating a terrible picture of the Great Terror. It is dedicated to all victims of totalitarian communist regime.

367-380

Authors: Vera Serjant

Depending on the stage of development, advertising as a historical phenomenon was expanding its sphere of influence penetrating more and more in various spheres of human activity. Agriculture, which is an important branch of the national economy closely related to the trade, always needs advertising. The absence of serfdom and the agrarian reforms have contributed to the integration of Bessarabian agriculture into the system of market relations. Local farmers needed promotion and marketing of agricultural products. For this they applied to various means of advertising. Agricultural advertisings can be found in the pages of the Bessarabian press from the late 19th - early 20th centuries. Most often, they were printed in publications of agricultural profile. An example is the magazine "Bessarabskoe sel'skoe khozyaistvo" ("Bessarabian Agriculture"), the publication of Agronomic Section of the Bessarabian Naturalists' Society and the Chişinău Department of the Imperial Russian Society for Horticulture. The magazine was published from 1908 to 1917. In the collection of MNHM there are 28 issues of this magazine (in all there were 240 issues). The years of publication: 1909, 1910, 1912 and 1916. They are the main source of research on the topic. The aim of this work is to determine the themes of agricultural advertisements and their contribution to the im- provement of agricultural management in Tsarist Bessarabia. All issues of the journal had the ads section. Regular customers of the journal were both local and foreign manufac- turers. Among the local: Fruit an Grape Nurseries "EKO" (Soroca); Bucovăţ Fruit and Grape Nurseries; Baron A. Stuart's Fruit Nursery (Chişinău); Cocorozeni Agricultural School; E.P. Melega-Kuzminskaia's estate of Temeleuţi and F.F. Köppen's estate of Voinovo-Ikel; Horticulture, Viticulture and Winemaking Bureau and Storage of Agricultural Machinery of N.G. Kavsan (Chişinău), etc. The ads offered planting material tested in local climate: fruit trees, local and foreign varieties of grape vine grafted onto American rootstocks, seed crops, as well as purebred cattle. Among the proposals there were met agricultural tools and machines made by known foreign firms.

387-402

Authors: Adelaida Chiroşca

The six icons from the collection of Marian icons from the National Museum of History of Moldova represent the image of Our Lady of Hârbovăţ. Of these, three are large processional ones and the others are smaller, home icons. The techniques of their manufacture are different: from tempera and oil on wood and gilding with gold leaf to chasing the fish glue gesso and enamel paints. All these icons are Russian and Bessarabian and are dated from the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As is known, the appearance of the icon of Our Lady of Hârbovăţ in the monastery dates from the late 18th century and is connected with the name of a Russian officer Nikolai Albaduev. Sources indicate that it was a family heirloom, handed down from generation to generation. In the monastery it proved to be a miracle-working icon. Multiple copies of it have spread in Bessarabia and beyond, and soon the image has become widely known as the icon of Our Lady of Hârbovăţ. On April 17, 1859 the Holy Synod has recognized its miraculous properties and approved the requests of Chisinau residents, allowing annually, from October 1 to April 17, with a procession to transfer the icon of Our Lady of Hârbovăţ from the monastery to Chişinău. This image is of the Hodegetria type. The image of the Virgin is presented till the knees; she holds the Child on her left hand and points at him with her right hand. The Savior blesses with his right hand, and in his left hand he holds a scroll. Their heads are inclined to each other. The distinctive elements of this type of Marian iconography are the outstretched more than usual right arm of the Savior, his light shirt with a belt, sad face of the Virgin and floral decoration of her garments.

409-414

Authors: Elena Ploşniţa

Implementation of the project When Sweden was ruled from Moldova is considered highly significant museum event of 2013. It is an international scientific cultural project having several thematic components, geographical landmarks and stages of implementation. The project is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the event known as "Kalabalyk at Varnita" and the stay of Swedish King Charles XII at Bender and Varnita in 1709-1713. It aims to preserve the historical memory and promote the historical and cultural heritage that reflects a common segment of the Moldavian-Swedish history and is associated with the name of Swedish King Charles XII, as well as to deepen the collaboration between Swedish, Turkish and Moldavian researchers. Opening of the activities on the project took place in Chisinau, in the Blue Room of the National Museum of History of Moldova. The first stage of the project was held in Chisinau and Varnita from 1 to 2 February 2013; it consisted of the opening ceremony, presentation of the thematic exhibition, and the international scientific conference. The next stages will take place in Istanbul and Stockholm. The event was organized by the Royal Armory (Stockholm), Embassy of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova, National Museum of History of Moldova, and Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Sweden.

19-28

Authors: Lyubov Klochko

The study analyzes the Scythian women's headwear based on the discoveries in Scythian barrows with female burials. By decorative elements there were identified several types of headwear. As a rule, they were worn by representatives of aristocratic layers of society and highlighted their social status. Despite the diversity of decorative elements it can be noted a common element for all the head-dresses - the representation of the fertility goddess.

53-68

Authors: Nikolai Anisiutkin, Serghei Covalenco, Alisa Larionova, Alexandr Ocherednoi, Xenia Stepanova, Andrei Chepalyga

The article is devoted to preliminary results of comprehensive research of the Early Paleolithic site of Bairaki, which was discovered in 2010 and investigated in 2011-2012. The work was conducted by a team of specialists from Russia and Republic of Moldova, including archaeologists (IHMC RAS, St. Petersburg; Institute of Cultural Heritage, ASM), geologists and paleogeographers (Institute of Geography and Geology RAS, Moscow). In the site there were found several layers of archaeological and paleontological finds associated with ancient deposits of the high 7th terrace above the flood plain of the Dniester. According to the stratigraphy, there were two complexes - the early and the late. The first is associated with alluvial deposits, and the second - with the overlying ancient fossil soils. A few finds of the late complex are comparable to the stone artifacts of the "Dubăsari industry", the variety of regional Acheulian (500-700 thousands years old). More numerous finds of the early complex date back to the Late Eopleistocene (0.8-1.2 million years old), corresponding to the developed or classic Oldowan of Africa and Eurasia.

75-96

Authors: Mihaela-Maria Barbu

Cet article vise à discuter en détail un composant important, mais rarement pris en compte, de l'économie de toutes les communautés préhistoriques, à savoir l'industrie lithique taillée. Des outils en pierre taillée étaient l'apanage des populations humaines depuis leur apparition. Les gens ont fait des roches diverses les outils et les armes dont ils avaient besoin pour suivre. Les communautés préhistoriques n'abandonnent pas la pierre comme matière première pas même en énéolithique, quand se développe la métallurgie du cuivre. Une preuve c'est le matériel lithique découvert en l'habitat énéolithique Tiszapolgár de Şoimuş 2 - Lângă sat. Il comprend un certain nombre d'outils: des éléments composants pour les faucilles (des pièces avec lustre végétal), des pièces avec traces de ternissement, des lames retouchées et non-retouchées, des gratoirs, des racloirs, un couteau, un perçoir, des éclats retouchées et non-retouchées. Ces outilages diverses montrent l'importance octroyée à la taille de pierre. Deux pointes de flèches rélèvent la chasse et/ou des activités bellicistes. Les nombreux débris indiquent la taille de pierre dans l'habitat, après avoir préalablement recueillir la matière première: les roches pour débiter. Ils sont de plusieurs types et de plusieurs sources: locales et d'import: silex, jaspe, menilite, quartzite, quartz, argilite, calcaire siliceux, grès siliceuse, obsidienne et chaille.

125-132

Authors: Mariana Vasilache

Pour la mésopotamie d'entre Prut et Nistru on connait 99 points encadrées dans la prémiere phase de développement, l'étape Cucuteni A. De ce nombre, seulement 14 ont déjà été étudiés. Les premières investigations dans un établissement cucutenien dans l'interfluve Prut-Dniestr ont été organisée en 1893 à Şipeniţ, Bucovine et ils continuent, avec quelques interruptions, jusqu'à nos jours. Dans les stations où des fouilles considérables ont été déployés ont été identifiées des fortifications. Il s'agit des restes d'établissements situées dans des lieus naturellement fortifiées, traces des logements enterées or construites sur la surface. L'habitat cucutenien de l'étape A du territoire de la Moldavie, sous tous ses aspects, s'intègre parfaitement équilibré dans la complex Ariusd-Cucuteni-Tripolye, apportant une note personnelle et spécifique à cette grande civilisation.

145-156

Authors: Eugen Mistreanu

The article presents a set of objects, which came from a new settlement of the Gumelniţa culture. The archaeological collection consists of working tools, ceramic fragments and an anthropomorphic figurine fragment. Settlement from Chioselia Mare was identified at 3.5 km north-west from the church of Chioselia Mare village and 1,9 km west of the road between Chioselia Mare village, Cahul District and Cîietu village, Cantemir District. According to preliminary investigations, this settlement is the northernmost site of the Gumelniţa culture on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

163-188

Authors: Mariana Sîrbu

As a result of archaeological research, which are carried out from 1950s to the present in the Prut-Dniester area, in the settlements, as well as through random findings, it was found about 412 artifacts of stone (scrapers, fragments of mills, discs, polishers, casting moulds, axes, etc.) and 129 ones of flint (hammerstones, knives, arrowheads, blades) relating to the Noua-Sabatinovka type. The article presents the categories of lithic objects and attempts to clarify their attribution.

205-218

Authors: Mariana Sîrbu

In the summer of 2011 S.P. Bakhov, a resident of the Antoneşti village (Cantemir District), proposed to the specialists of the archaeological sector of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova several objects of bronze for the acquisition by the museum. According to information provided by S.P. Bakhov, the objects were found on the edge of a ravine situated near the village cemetery. By the discoverer, the objects emerged as a result of collapse of the soil. When checking the place of discovery, experts observed traces of the gradual collapses of the ravine banks. The hoard consists of 36 bronze objects: tools (2 whole and 11 fragmentary), arms (2 whole and 5 fragmentary) and ornaments (10 whole and 6 fragmentary). By its composition the hoard found at the village of Antoneşti in Cantemir District corresponds to other findings of bronze objects in the Carpathian-Dniester space dated between Br.D - early Ha A1. Sickles of Heleşteni type, calotiform plaques, shapes of daggers' handles and needles attribute the Antoneşti hoard to the Noua culture. The hoard represents a complex material collected during a long period of time, accumulated during BrD and buried, possibly, in the early Ha A1. The importance of the Antoneşti hoard's composite spectrum is in the presence of unique items that have no analogues for the moment.

293-295

Authors: Natalia Mateevici

The article presents information on a Greek amphora of Chios production, which was randomly found in the former mechanical plant in Dubăsari. This amphora recently entered the museum's collection. It belongs to the early Chios amphorae with swollen neck of so-called type III B, which according to the classification of Monakhov are dated back to the first half of the 5th century BC. This amphora is of a certain interest, because it is currently the only whole specimen of that type in the territory of the Republic of Moldova, and it also provides additional information to create a complete picture of the development of trade between the Greek poleis and local communities in the region.

311-328

Authors: Octavian Munteanu

La fortification Horodca Mică est située dans la zone centrale de l'espace pruto-dniesterien, aux environs des sources de la rivière Botna, et elle est devenue objet des recherches systématiques depuis 2006. Plusieurs des résultats obtenus depuis cette date on été publiés entre temps. On compte parmi ceux-ci une étude concernant les éléments défensifs de la forteresse, où l'on a mis en avant l'hypothèse d'une fortification par étapes, du promontoire, alternées avec des destructions périodiques. Au départ, on avait plus insisté sur la première phase d'édification du système défensif, en décrivant ses éléments constitutifs, les techniques utilisées dans le processus d'édification, mais aussi l'évolution de la fortification même, jusqu'au dévastateur incendie qui a écroulé la construction défensive. Dans cet article on a repris le débat portant sur le système défensif. L'hypothèse sur laquelle on se fonde admet l'existence de trois autres phases de refortification du même espace, suite à la première destruction. Pour l'argumentaire de ce point de vue on s'est proposé de présenter dans un premier temps, le tableau des observations objectives, enregistrées sur le terrain, et dans un deuxième temps, partant de ces observations, offrir une explication de la vision que nous avons construit. Cette analyse porte y compris sur les modalités d'édification du système défensif dans chacune des phases identifiées, sur les techniques et matériaux utilisés, ainsi que des raisonnements concernant les repères chronologiques. On est donc d'avis que dans ces phases ultérieures de fortification du promontoire, a été procédé de la même manière que dans la première : un fossé a été creusé (en réalité c'est l'ancien qui a été étendu en largeur), derrière a été montée une palissade complexe, en bois (sur le sommet même de la vague constituée suite à l'écroulement de la construction de la phase précédente), remplie avec de la terre excavée du fossé. Dans la situation crée, la berme utilisée dans la première phase d'édification du système défensif, n'y trouvait plus sa place. Ainsi, on estime que la délimitation du fossé proprement-dit, depuis l'intérieur, doit être fixée par rapport à la palissade. De cette manière, des barrières solides ont pu être créées, qui, dû à leurs dimensions impressionnantes, ont protégé à plusieurs reprises la population de ces espaces, dans les siècles V à III a. Chr.

335-344

Authors: Elena Fialko, Yurii Boltryk

In Northern Black Sea steppes were excavated more than three thousand Scythian burial mounds. In the studied burials were discovered large quantities of artifacts, but leather and textile items are preserved only in a few cases. Some ideas about Scythian costume are found in the works of Greek authors. In this regard, extremely important is the funerary complex dated with the 4th century BC, discovered in barrow Vishnevaja Moghila (Zaporizhia region, Ukraine). In the crypt, which remained undisturbed over time, was found a burial of a Scythian girl. The unique condition of preservation of the textiles and leather findings allowed reconstructing the entire costume of the Scythian. It consisted of six layers of clothing. Various pieces of clothing were made from different materials: white linen cloth, orange satin fabric, reddish-brown fur, black cloth, fur, red skin. This discovery is one of a kind in the Northern Black Sea region, which is currently a reference example of female costume of early nomads of the region.

355-368

Authors: Kirill Myzgin

The spread of Roman coins in the territory of the Chernyakhov culture is different in different regions. The article is devoted to the study of this issue in the forest-steppe of the left bank of the Dnieper. Systematic study of ancient coins began here in the early 20th century, but has been intensified in the last years. Currently, there is known not less than about 208 of find spots of Roman coins with a total of not less than 8150 copies (at least 390 single finds and at least 7760 coins in the hoards). The largest group consists of coins of the 1st - 2nd centuries AD coinage. Most numismatic finds of the 3rd century AD are presented by coins of Asia Minor coinage. Finds of coins of the 4th - first half of 5th centuries AD are uncommon for the region.

381-388

Authors: Vladimir Sitnik, Valentin Lebedev

The ancient settlement of Nizhny Dzhulat is located on the right bank of the Terek River near the town of Maysky in Kabardino-Balkaria. A large amount of the Golden Horde coins was found there by locals during agricultural work. The authors obtained electronic images of coins found in 2010-2012. In this paper they summarize the results of the study of copper coins from the Nizhny Dzhulat complex. Based on the dated coins, the chronology of copper coins covers 100-year period from 1420s to 1520s. In the complex there are many rare and unpublished types and variants for coins, 16 of which are described in the article. Copper coinage of Djanibek II presents two new types and ten new variants. There were considered seven types of Haji-Tarkhan coins, including the unreleased dated type of "Animals at the trough" of 805 AH. Horde minted al- Jadid's coins are presented here with two types of animalistic symbolism and with a review of the unreleased coin with tamga "glasses" of Emir Ibrahim al-Jadid's coinage of 777 AH.

397-403

Authors: Ana Boldureanu

The author continues to record monetary findings on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The current edition introduces the coins acquired in the second half of 2012 and the first half of 2013. The earliest of these is a Greek issue of „Larissa" found in the village of Talmaza, Ştefan Vodă District. This is the second coin of this kind discovered on the territory of Moldova. There are presented three hoards of the Roman era, one of them with the place of discovery. There are given the new places of discovery of coins belonging to the medieval period: the villages of Balinţi (Soroca District), Marinici (Călăraşi District), and Soloneţ (Soroca District).

409-419

Authors: Natalia Mateevici

The article is devoted to a critical analysis of the article by A. Levinschi "Греческие амфоры на гетских памятниках лесостепи Днестровско-Прутского междуречья - центры и ритмы поступления (Greek amphorae on Getae sites in the forest-steppe area between the rivers of Dniester and Prut - centers and rhythms of delivery)" published in the journal "Stratum plus" № 3 for 2013. The author of this work, not being a specialist in ancient times and Greek amphorae in particular, using for his own scientific research our monograph "Amforele greceşti în mediul barbar din nord-vestul Pontului Euxin în sec. VI - începutul sec. II a. Chr. (Greek Amphorae in the Barbarian World of the Northwestern Coast of Pontus Euxinus in the 6th - Early 2nd Centuries BC)" (Chişinău 2007), decided to revise the dating of Greek imports in the barbarian world of Getae, trying to convince us, the professionals, and perhaps himself, that the spread of Greek imports (including amphorae) in the Getae environment refers only to the time interval limited by the 6th - late 4th centuries BC. The effort to prove this timing has become for A. Levinschi "a matter of his scientific life", and he persistently tries to bring his scientific research under this framework. In this article we have tried to comment page by page those arguments that we consider not only wrong, but obviously biased, and which are explained, apparently, not only by ignorance of the specifics of Greek amphorae and their epigraphy and by insufficient knowledge of the professional literature, but also by the fact that the author of the paper under review has analyzed not the material itself but only its illustrations.

29-51

Authors: Valentin Tomuleţ

In the given article the author defines the bourgeoisie as a social category linked mainly to the urban economy, which has capital and power of decision in capitalist community. The author classifies Bessarabian bourgeoisie of the nineteenth century into four categories: “Economic bourgeoisie”, state officials, people engaged in the intellectual labour, “the petty bourgeoisie”. Analysing the commercial bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie, the author concludes that the peripheral situation of Bessarabia in the economic and political system of the Russian Empire has determined clearly discriminatory attitude of central authorities towards the region, which was reflected in the restriction of the rights and opportunities for local residents, mostly Moldovans, through the attraction of foreign merchants and traders from the Russian provinces, providing them with various benefits. As a result, the lack of state unity and national independence, political domination and economic exploitation by the Russian Empire directly influenced the genesis of bourgeoisie of Bessarabia. As a result, the bourgeoisie of Bessarabia was established as cosmopolitan social structure consisted largely of alien elements, supported and protected by the imperial administration.

63-75

Authors: Cristina Herghiligiu

The evolution of the Moldavian political elite, as it was at the beginning of the 15th century, shows clearly that some stages had already been covered since the moment of its formation. Those stages had been directly determined by the socio-political and economic matters and by the particularities of the geographical space. The first three decades of this century were marked by prosperity and balance of power, manifested in the relationship between the domestic political elite and the ruler; from 1432 to 1457 the situation changed into a real internal crisis caused by the fighting between different political groups that supported different claimants to the throne, either legitimate or illegitimate.

81-93

Authors: Mihai Onilă

The author describes aspects of the history of population and estate of the Veprova-Puţintei village (the Orhei County) since its foundation in the early 15th century to the late 18th century.As a result of documentary research it was revealed that the founder of the village was a boyar Hedco Creţovici, a member of the Divan from 1419 to 1436. On July 17, 1436, Princes Ilie and Ştefan bestowed him for his faithful service “two uninhabited places on the river of Kula...”, where he founded the village. His work was continued by his sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Later the village was inherited by kinship by high dignitaries of Moldova: the părcălabs of Orhei George Catargiul (the former Great Clucer) and Andrei Mihuleţ; postelnic Apostol Catargiul, vătav of the Orhei County – Nistor, serdars of Orhei – Cârstea, Ion Cuza (the former Great Spatar) and Iordache Milo (the former Great Clucer). Despite the existence of this large boyars’ kin in the region throughout the history, it remained the village of răzeşi (freeholders), which was reflected in various documents of the time. The well established estate had traditionally been divided into three patrimonies: upper, middle and bottom. The first mention of the village priest refers to 1548, and the first mention of the church founded by Cârstea, the serdar of Orhei, – to the end of the 18th century.

109-120

Authors: Valentin Arapu

Oppressed by the Persians and Turks, many Armenians were forced to leave their homeland and immigrate to different European countries: Poland, Italy, Moldova, Holland, and France. Armenian colonies in Moldova were important centers even before the founding of the principality. They enjoyed internal autonomy and had special privileges from the Moldavian rulers. In the Principality of Moldova of the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries, the Armenian colonies existed in the cities of Botoşani, Roman, Iaşi, Galaţi, Hotin, Chişinău, Orhei, Tighina, Ismail, Chilia, Akkerman, and Focşani. Since the land was the property of the local social elite and as a rule was not sold to foreigners, including the Armenians, the main occupations in the Armenian colonies were trade and crafts. The ethnic Armenians rented lands for breeding horses and cattle. In the Prut-Dniester region they bred mainly horses. The Moldavian rulers granted the Armenian merchants with many privileges for the substantial incomes to the state treasury. Local Armenians were exempted from customs duties when exported horses grown on their own pastures. Along with the lease, the Armenian merchants eventually have obtained the right to buy estates. The Armenian community played an important role in the Moldavian economics, contributing to the development of the entrepreneurship and capitalist relations. Later, the Armenians were mainly assimilated by the local population, thus participating in the process of national bourgeoisie creation.

129-136

Authors: Irina Cereş

The important role in the development and expansion of trade relations between the Principality of Moldova and the Russian Empire belonged to foreign merchants. These traders were the connecting link between the economies of the Russian Empire and the Principality of Moldova. They held key positions in international and domestic trade that was confirmed by D. Cantemir, who wrote that “foreign traders – Turkish, Jewish, Armenian, Greek ones ... seized the entire trade of Moldova, and buy at very low prices flocks of sheep and cattle and sell them in Constantinople and other cities at double or triple price ...“ (Cantemir 1986, 151). But the main cause of the dominance of foreign merchants in the trade was the privileges and protection of the tsarist government. All this contributed to the consolidation of the Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and other foreign merchants in the Romanian principalities.

149-157

Authors: Silvia Pantaz

L’évolution des relations commerciales de l’Empire Russe avec la Principauté de Moldavie a été influencée d’un certain nombre de facteurs objectifs et subjectifs, internes et externes qui sont realisés par diverses formes et intensité. Le problème, c’est que ces facteurs ont influencé le progrés ou même le régres des processus de la vie économique de l’Empire Russe et de la Principauté de Moldavie pendant le premier tiers du XIX- ième siècle. Parfois le commerce bilatéral a été influencé de diverses maladies et épidémies qui ont mis en péril la vie et la santé des habitants et même ont imposé les états d’établir des actes normatifs pour protéger ses frontières. La limite supérieure chronologique (1812) désigne une nouvelle étape dans le développement des relations com- merciales de l’Empire Russe avec la Principauté de Moldavie qui a une tangente directe avec l’annexion du terri- toire d’entre le Pruth et Dniestr et les premières attestations du fléau de la peste dans les Principautés Roumaines, l’Empire Otoman, l’Empire Autrichien, même les goubernies voisines et qui ont imposé l’administration impériale russe à établir un plan stratégique pour la protection des frontières d’Ouest d’Empire. La limite inférieure chronologique (1831) confirme les dernières vagues de peste attestés dans la Principauté de Moldavie, la supréssion du cordon sanitaire – douanier au Dniestr et l’unification douanière de la Bessarabie avec l’Empire Russe. Donc, les restrictions établies par l’administration impériale russe pour la protection des frontières de peste, ont conditionné la fermeture des frontières d’Ouest de la Bessarabie, enregistrant la diminussion de l’échange des marchandises et une transformation d’ordre sociale, politique et économique.

175-192

Authors: Ivan Duminica

The article outlines how the Bulgarians, in the fight for their rights, with the help of their patron Ivan Nikitich Inzov received the coveted status of the colonists. On December 29, 1819 the tsarist government bestowed these settlers with rights and privileges, which equated them with the German colonists. The Transdanubian settlers received 555,608 dessiatinas (a Russian measure of land equal to 2.7 acres) in Bessarabia. Bulgarians enjoyed a special status, because, primarily, they moved to Budjac being attracted by guarantees of the Russian command; for example, Mikhail Kutuzov in 1811 promised them the rights and privileges if they would establish in Bessarabia. Secondly, they could not be subordinated to the Moldavian major landowners, because in the first half of the 19th century there has already been established imperial administration, which did not recognize the old laws of Moldavian Principality. And, thirdly, the Bulgarian refugees came to Bessarabia in search of freedom, not to become dependent.

203-211

Authors: Tatiana Chicaroş

This article analyzes the situation, incorporation and mechanisms of functioning of private educational institutions in Bessarabia and their role in the educational system of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th - early 20th century. Although private educational institutions in tsarist Russia functioned throughout the 19th century, a clear rise in the educational system was recorded only in the second half of the century. Private schools in the Russian Empire were divided into three categories in accordance with their curriculums: the first category was consistent with gymnasiums and non-classical secondary schools, the second category corresponded district and city schools, and the third one corresponded primary schools. Although these institutions were not providing any guarantees to the students, their number had been annually growing. The Ministry of National Education promoted the policy of rapprochement private schools from peripheries to central ones. The first step in this direction was the decision to introduce compulsory teaching of Russian in all private schools. All measures undertaken by the Ministry of National Education were aimed at the unification of curricula of private schools with programs of public institutions. Private schools supplement the ministerial schools, providing educational opportunities to those who were not accepted in public schools.

235-242

Authors: Igor Cereteu

The present article describes the spreading of printed books published from 1815 to 1830 in Chişinău. According to historical information, old books from the Chişinău printing-house were available in all localities of Eastern Moldova. But there are some suggestions that these books were also brought outside this area, both to the west and east, to places with the Romanian population. The books printed in Chişinău can be found in libraries of Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. They traveled across all the territory of Romania, being found in churches, monasteries, libraries, and museums, especially in the area of Moldova. Further research in this area will allow a more complete study of typographic activity in Moldova of that period and reveal the contribution of Moldavian bishops to the distribution of church books.

253-263

Authors: Mihail Iliev

This article presents some information regarding the relationship of Bessarabian nobleman Vasile Stroescu and Romanians of Bihor County (Romania). These relations are highlighted by a series of unpublished documentary evidences from the Oradea archives. Vasile Stroescu constantly supported cultural institutions on both sides of the Carpathians. Thanks to his donations for the Transylvanian Orthodox clergy between 1910 and 1913, in the amount of about one million crowns, there were saved from Magyarization about two hundred schools and over one hundred and thirty Romanian churches.

273-284

Authors: Vera Serjant

The present article is based on the study of newspapers “Novaya Gazeta” from the collections of NMAIM and the library of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, the only institutions in the country where you can find this publication. The purpose of this study is to elucidate its specific features and role in the development of newspaper advertising in Bessarabia. In the period of time from 1910 to 1916, the number of newspapers published in Bessarabia, particularly in the capital of the province – the city of Chisinau, significantly increased. We focus our attention on more detailed information regarding the occurrence of a newspaper, which was “more special”, in our opinion. It is the weekly newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” (The New Gazette) published in Chisinau by G. Kalmanson from 1911 to 1913. We call it “more special” because it was intended mainly for the publication of advertisements. Few feuilletons or sections of local and foreign news, which occupied a small place and had ordinary subjects, in fact, just masked the real purpose of this newspaper. Merchant G. Kalmanson managed to publish a newspaper which had a fairly large circulation among the wealthy public, providing space for advertisements. There have been placed advertisements of the most famous trading houses, shops, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, photographic workshops, banking offices, factories, and so on, both from Chisinau and abroad. In this newspaper G. Kalmanson himself was advertising his goods: cars, bikes, traditional and roller skates, phonographs, carbide. The newspaper successfully resisted the onslaught of competition and censorship, and was published for two years.

293-304

Authors: Mariana Ţăranu

In the course of the first, as well as the ulterior Soviet occupation communist authorities from Moscow managed MSSR basing on Soviet legislation, operating in all union republics. For successful implementation of general public repressions, People’s Commissariat for Justice of the USSR had created in Bessarabia double system of justice bodies, for those on the left bank. Thus, there were founded circuit and district courts, which contributed to creation of several court districts in certain Bessarabian regions. In order to adjust new territorial possessions to soviet legislation, on the territory of the MSSR there was put in circulation USSR legislation by means of law codes of the Ukrainian SSR. Moreover, for communist regime the Soviet legislation was just a justification of communist theory and had been broken every time Kremlin authorities needed to justify criminal policy. The example of this is creation of MSSR, which broke even Soviet legislation.

321-333

Authors: Silviu Andrieş-Tabac

Le processus d’élaboration, d’introduction et de vulgarisation des symboles territoriaux locaux de la République de Moldova, sous les auspices de la Commission Nationale d’Héraldique, est en plein développement. Après une longue pause, durant depuis 2004, l’auteur reprend le cycle de présentations de nouveaux insignes introduits dans l’usage, accompagnés de la documentation qui a servi de base à leur approbation. Cette communication présente les armoiries et les drapeaux des villes–résidences des districts moldaves (raion) Anenii Noi (approuvés dans 2005), Cimişlia (2010), Făleşti (2010), Leova (2008), Nisporeni (2005). Les symboles urbains appartenant à ces villes respectent la tradition historique et la nouvelle tradition héraldique de la République de Moldova.

347-358

Authors: Vera Stăvilă

This paper is the result of a research of the collection of playbills from the National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova. The majority of playbills refers to the modern period (1941-2010) and reflects mainly the activity of national theaters, while playbills of provincial theaters are in a very small number (a few copies). It was found the total lack of playbills of 1918-1940, although it is known that in the interwar period in Bessarabia there were theaters. Depending on the form and content, the playbills were distributed by us in three categories. Playbills of the first category include the standard elements: name of the theatre, name of the play, director, producer, and composer, at times even distribution of roles, date and place of performance, the address of printing house. The second category of playbills includes complex information: together with the names of the author and the actors there are images of scenes from the performance. The third category of playbills combines the elements of the first and second categories: some of them include scenes from the performance, the others – only the names of the actors and authors. The same category includes playbills with images of main actors and famous authors.

365-386

Authors: Yuri Pyatnitsky

In the spring of 2010, the Louvre, the largest museum of France, held an exhibition of Russian art that became the most prominent event of the Year of Russia in France. The exhibition was put on a list of official matters and the presidents of both countries opened it in a formal ceremony. The visitors could see in the Louvre’s halls a refined selection of objects of the highest artistic level, an elaborate conception of the exposition’s plan, an excellent design, and a great respect for Russian culture. It took several years for Dr Jannic Durand, a specialist in Byzantine art and Louvre’s curator, and Director Henri Leyrotte to prepare the exhibition. 300 objects from 37 museums and libraries from all around the world, including 26 depositories from Russia, were put on display. It should be emphasized that the main part of the exhibition included the articles of the high artistic level, often the masterpieces. In this article, the author tried to give a virtual tour around the exhibition’s halls in the Louvre, drawing the readers’ attention to the special ways in the displaying the objects, the reasons behind the objects’ selection, and their effect in the exposition space. Special attention is paid to the result (quite often, an unexpected one even for the organizers of the exhibition themselves) reached by the arrangement of the objects in the halls and showcases, their comparison, lighting, and successful design. In some cases, the article explains the motivations behind the selection of the art works that are connected to the ways Old Russian art is perceived by the European public and their interpretation of Russian history. The author is trying to explain not only the ideas that the French organizers of the exhibition wished to reveal in the exhibition halls but also the result of it, and why this result had, in fact, the enormous success among the different categories of visitors.

393-396

Authors: Sergiu Dobrea

After 20 years of independence of the Republic of Moldova, the economic crisis and political instability is accompanied by significant reductions in budgetary funds that have serious consequences for the development of culture in general and museums in particular. Museums of the Republic of Moldova is in a difficult position, and all those responsible, who assumed certain political, economic and civic commitments to support the museum professionals, should put forward a serious program that will raise the level of professional museum work to international standards.

27-44

Authors: Elena Fialko

In the Early Iron Age the territory of modern Ukraine was inhabited by warlike nomads. The archaeological evidence suggests that there were warrior women among the Scythians. The indicators of social status of the Scythians are their funerary monuments. In addition to size, great value had a set of accompanying funeral equipment and the presence of servants. The social differentiation existed in the environment of the Amazons. The funerary monuments indicate that the Amazons were the representatives of the middle class. The ordinary combatants were dominated amongst them, but there were also wealthy women, commanders and free mercenaries. War campaigns have contributed to the increasing of the social differentiation in a military environment.

53-64

Authors: Stanislav Ţerna, Serghei Popovici, Valerii Paşa

The article publishes the finds from the surface of two Precucuteni settlements located in the surroundings of the Cărbuna village (Ialoveni district, Republic of Moldova). The material from the first site, Cărbuna I, which is well-known to the scientific community due do the discovery in 1961 of a hoard with ceremonial items, is remarkable by the quite large number of axes, made out of solid magmatic (?) rocks. The material from the second site, Cărbuna XI, is represented by ceramic fragments which allow us to synchronize this settlement with the Cărbuna I site and to date them with the end of the Precucuteni III stage in the Prut-Dniester interfluve.

73-89

Authors: Nikolai M. Fomichev

In this article, the author describes and analyses the burial rite and goods of the Catacomb grave 8, kurgan 1 excavated in the Baranchuk-1 kurgan group located on the right bank of the Egorlyk River. The burial goods accompanied the deceased included the clay model similar to the model found by N.I. Veselovsky in Uliap kurgan 1, grave 4 (fragments of another clay model of similar type came from the destroyed grave of the same kurgan), two different bronze pins, numerous bronze and bone beads, and other objects. The ritual and burial goods have been compared with materials found in other graves of the Baranchuk-1 and other kurgan groups. According to scholars studied the Catacomb culture, the Baranchuk grave can be dated to the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC.

169-184

Authors: Ion Niculiţă, Andrei Nicic

Archaeological survey for the settlement of Saharna-Dealul Mănăstirii in 2011, like in the previous season, was focused on its south-eastern outskirts. The excavations revealed a number of closed complexes, in particular the household pits, many of which contained an interesting ceramic material. The obtained data by all the characteristic features is similar to the findings related to the culture Cozia-Saharana (10th -8th centuries BC) that were previously found in the settlement. The fact that the chronological period is a little expanded proves that the settlement functioned for quite a long time.

195-206

Authors: Vasile Iarmulschi

In dem Gebiet der Poieneşti-Lucaşeuca-Kultur sind hellenistiche Amphoren die wichtigsten lmportfunde. In die¬sem Raum wurden hellenistiche Importfunde in 35 Siedlungen gefunden. In den Siedlungen, welche durch syste¬matische Ausgrabungen studiert wurden, sind griechische Amphoren mit circa 5% bei der Keramik vertreten. Die hellenistiche Produktion tritt in diesem Gebiet ab dem ersten Viertel des 2. Jhr.v. Chr.auf. Die meisten Amphoren datieren aber in das zweiten Viertel dieses Jahrhunderts.

225-232

Authors: Ivan Vlasenko

This publication describes of archaeological sites identified in the central and northern areas of the Republic of Moldova in 1984. In the central regions it was determined the location of 48 sites of various cultural and chronological horizons. Of these, 36 ones are single- layer and 12 are multi-layer. Prevailing are the settlements of the following cultures: Getae, Sântana de Mureş-Chernyakhov, and the Moldavian late medieval culture. In the northern areas there were discovered 17 settlements, most of which are single-layer and belong to the cultures of Cucuteni-Tripolye and Sântana de Mureş-Chernyakhov.

259-267

Authors: Vasile Mărculeţ

La période de paix d’entre l’Empire Romain-Byzantin et les Visigoths du nord du Danube instaurée par le foedus imposé aux Germaniques par Constantin le Grand en 332, pris fin au début du règne de l’empereur Flavius Valens. Avec les forces militaires redressées, les Vizigoths redevenaient un péril pour les provinces balkaniques de l’Empire Romain-Byzantin. Pour finir ces choses, Valens organise contre les Vizigoths une campagne militaire qui va durer pendant trois ans (367-369). Les résultats médiocres obtenus par l’empéreur pendant les confrontations avec les Vizigoths du nord du Danube, conduits par le roi Athanarich, en 367 et 369 l’ont déterminé achever une nouvelle paix avec le chef barbar. La paix achevée pendant l’été de l’an 369 à Noviodunum annulait le foedus de 332. les Vizigoths cessaient d’être considérés des foederati de l’Empire Romain-Byzantin, qui renoncait aussi à sa possession de la Dace méridionale.

281-328

Authors: Ion Tentiuc, Valeriu Bubulici, Mariana Vasilache, Livia Sîrbu

In the summer of 2010 archaeological excavations in the historic part of Chişinău were carried out. The earliest written records about the Chişinău show that the historic core was located in the lower part of the modern city, near the river of Bâc. Apparently, the locality already existed in the 14th century, before the Golden Horde was ousted from the south-eastern part of the Carpathian-Dniester land in 70s-80s of this century. On the opposite, left side of the river there was located the settlement of the Tatar times mentioned in the sources. Archaeological excavations conducted in the immediate vicinity of the Mazarache Church revealed some ceramic materials of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages, as well as ample evidence of the existence of a settlement and burial site of the medieval and modern times. As a result of the investigation of the medieval cemetery in Chisinau it can be also stated that in the middle and in the second half of the 16th century a territory of the cape around the supposed wooden church was fully occupied with the local Christian community burials. Recent burials refer to the first two decades of the 19th century, until 1827, when a stone wall around the church was built, and burials were prohibited.

347-352

Authors: Ana Boldureanu

The number of coin finds for 2011 is small, but among them there are several specimens, which are pretty rare for the Prut-Dniester area. It should be noted a bronze medallion of the time of Commodus found in the Grigoriopol District, a coin of KOINON MAKЄΔONΩN type of the period of Gordian III - Philip the Arab, discovered in the village of Pohoarna, Şoldăneşti District, as well as a hoard of Roman bronze coins of the 3rd-4th centuries found in the village of Goteşti, Cantemir district, after the floods of 2011. Two hoards found in the south belong to the Middle Ages. The first one, found in 2009 in Bugeac, Comrat, Gagauzia, consists of 4736 pieces. Most of them are the Ottoman coins dating from the first period of reign of Murad II (1421-1444) - Murad III (1574-1595), but there is also a coin issued during the third Shirvanshahs dynasty and 7 Russian kopecks of the 16th century. The second hoard was found near the village of Yuzhnoe, Cahul District, in 1980s. From its content there are 25 specimens representing the Ottoman akçes and their imitations minted in the period of Murad III - Mehmed III.

31-54

Authors: Bogdan Bucur

The purpose of this article is to challenge Ştefan Zeletin’s classical sociological thesis (regarding the economic and politic extinction of the great Wallachian boyar-class) which is not historically sustainable neither on economic, nor on political grounds. From an economic point of view, we argue that the great Wallachian boyar families expanded their areas of economic interest, between 1774-1866, through industrial, banking, land-leasing or commercial investments both internally, by founding market-places and fairs and internationally, by getting involved in the export of cereal and animal commodities. From a politic point of view, we only remind that between 1859-1916, forty-six percent of those who held the highest governmental dignity in the modern Romanian state – that of Prime Minister – were representatives of the twenty-three great Wallachian boyar families.

71-98

Authors: Yuri Piatnitsky

In this article is given an analysis on the history of Byzantine art exhibitions organized in the Imperial Hermitage and later in the State Hermitage Museum in the years 1861-2006. The history of collecting and display of Byzantine artworks is closely linked to the history of Russian society and the general trends of scientific research of the Byzantium. The articles argues the idea that “museums opened only for the sake of art” or “art for art” is nothing but a romantic and idealist dream. In reality, however, the social impact and the political objectives, along with ambitions of personalities, are enormous in developing and displaying art exhibitions. The article analyzes various chronological periods of the Hermitage exhibition functioning.

105-111

Authors: Vasile Mărculeţ

Au milieu du XIVe siècle dans les territoires situés entre le Danube et la Mer Noire s’organise le Despotat de la Dobroudja, un état de facteure bysantine, qui va s’affirmer comme la troisième liberté roumaine. Les titres détenues par les dynastes de la Dobroudja, celui de despote (δεσπότα) et de prince (dominus), employés par Dobrotici/Dobrotiţă, respectivement celui de ,,prince par grace de Dieu (misericordia dei, dominus)”, assumé par Ivanco/Ioancu, confirment, autant les liaisons du début avec l’Impire Byzantin mais aussi le changement de l’état de la Dobroudja dans une principauté monarchique, mais aussi le statut indépendants de leurs dirigeants.

119-138

Authors: Sergius Ciocanu

The article, on the basis of personal field research and on the basis of examination of published and unknown documents show some pages regarding the medieval history of Maşcăuţi estate. Also, here is analyzing the historic development of the Maşcăuţi hermitage in the name of Dormition of Our Lady.

145-164

Authors: Igor Cereteu

After having investigated numerous notes from the manuscripts and old books from the Principality of Moldova dated with the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it appears that they are true historical sources contributing to the discovery of our past. These notes can be considered authentic pages of chronicles, documents with narrative character. The authors of the notes were often themselves the witnesses of that they wrote or copied from other sources, they made notes of what they heard “for remembrance”. The thematic of the notes is quite diversified, there is information about the events which marked directly or indirectly the authors, about bad times, reign periods, the difficulties of war or military confrontations, the presence of foreign armies on the Principality of Moldova’ territory, devastations, fires, bad years, epidemics, daily operations etc. These notes are largely double checked by documentary sources or chronicles; they offer true information, supported by historical documents, sometimes new details unknown to history.

185-198

Authors: Tatiana Chicaroş

In this article, based on the analysis of written documents and monographs, we will discuss the legislative foundation of secondary education in the Russian Empire. In order to navigate in the diversity of laws we will try to make a conditional difference in the periods of legislation in the sphere of education. First of all we will analyze the situation in the education domain in the 17th century. The first attempts to organize a unified school system throughout the country were made just at that time, but the first state school system was established only in the 19th century due to the reforms of 1802-1803. The establishment of the Ministry of Public Education, Preliminary Regulations concerning public education, and University Regulations led to the fact that in November of 1804 the “Regulations of Educational Institutions Subordinate to Universities” were established. Under the new law, education is divided into the following types: university, gymnasium, county, and parochial. All these educational institutions were closely linked. Despite all the advances in the field of education during the 19th century, the level of primary, secondary, and higher education in Russia was still much lower than in European countries.

205-214

Authors: Silvia Pantaz

Les intérêts économiques et politiques de l’Empire Russe ont dicté les tendances de l’annexion et de saisi forcés de nouveaux territoires. Ils, sans un droit, ont devenu des marchés de la vente et ont été soumis d’un processus d’intégration systémique et vite dans la composition de l’Empire. Selon les sources historiques, dans la réalisation du commerce russe avec la Principauté de Moldavie comme point de transition a servi la Bessarabie. L‘annexassions de la Bessarabie, représentant une politique de domination et de contrôle rigide à la nouvelle frontière. La limite supérieure chronologique (1812) désigne les tendances annexionnistes de la politique russe qui établira un nouveau rapport des relations commerciales avec la Principauté de Moldavie L’emplacement de la frontière au Prut et Danube aussi bien que la mise en place d’une nouvelle organisation douanière et sanitaire de frontière avec la Principauté de Moldavie (1817), a conduit à l’influence de l’administration russe dans ces territoires. L’adoption des tarifs douaniers de 186, 1819, 1822 dénote le passage du libéralisme au protectionnisme dans la politique commerciale de la Russie avec les pays étrangers. La limite inférieure chronologique (1825) confirme la mise en œuvre par l’Empire Russe du Règlement concernant le commerce avec la Bessarabie, qui servait non seulement le territoire de transit de marchandises russes, mais comme source de marchandises besarabenes pour le marché moldave. La rédaction des actes normatifs ont servi de la Russie non seulement pour augmenter le balance du commerce extérieur, mais pour réussir à la concurrence économique.

223-233

Authors: Nicolae Fuştei

Despite the relatively large number of publications devoted to the life and activity of the Metropolitan Gabriel Banulescu-Bodoni, it should be noted that not all aspects of his activity were examined. In this article, the author attempted to show another side of the multifaceted activity of the Metropolitan Gabriel Banulescu-Bodoni, namely that witch is related with his pastoral-social service. For an objective study of this problem, author has analyzed a set of archival documents that allowed to show the efforts of Metropolitan Gabriel in arrangement of the Kiev shelter for widows and orphans of the clerics; attempts to establish a new system for the maintenance of the clergy of the Kiev Diocese; introduction of a special regime for lawsuits over clergy of the Moldo-Wallachian exarchate; reducing the tax burden for clergy, arrangement of the new temples and help Balkan fellow believers etc. All of this will enrich the knowledge of such an important personality who left a deep imprint in the history of the Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian peoples.

245-260

Authors: Maria Danilov

Materials under discussion are in the main documentary evidences concerned the history of a private library of the first half of the 19th century belonged to Dimitrie Gobdela (1780-1831), a lecturer at the Academia Domnească from Iaşi. The book collection of the Dimitrie Gobdela’s famous library that numbered 2733 volumes in different languages: Greek, German, French, Latin etc. was brought to Bessarabia and given in pawn by its owner (April 1, 1825) to a boyar Dimitrie Carastati in exchange for 335 Dutch gold coins. Official correspondence from the Chişinau National Archives (the Fund of the Bessarabian Marshal of the Nobility and the Fund of the Office of the Civil Governor of Bessarabia) fills in some unknown or little-known pages of the destiny of the Dimitrie Gobdela’s library. Our task is to clarify and to highlight the historical and cultural value of that imposing collection of books, that later was found in the library of the Chişinău Regional Gymnasia. There are several reasons for attaining these objects: • Insufficient historical data on the collection of books from the libraries of Bessarabia of the 19th century. • Lack of scientific information on the catalogue of the Dimitrie Govdela’s Library. • Specificity of the restrictive system of the tsarist censorship concerned foreign books brought to Bessarabia.

271-282

Authors: Valentin Tomuleţ

The idea to involve Jews in Russia in agricultural work appeared for the first time at the late 18th - early 19th centuries, having been originated from both Russian statesmen and representatives of the Jewish intellectual elite. Among the first ones we can mention Chatsky with his project of 1788, Frizel and especially Derzhavin, among the latter – Nota Notkin (1798) and I.B. Levinson (the late 1820s). The government was also interested in this idea, intending to make the Jews “useful citizens for the benefit of the State” and use them, along with the Germans and Bulgarians, for the colonization of the territories of Novorossiya. The final status of the Jewish farmers was confirmed by a special statute from December 26, 1844, under which they had been provided with a number of privileges: exemption for 10 years from payment of all taxes and financial charges (except personal ones) with respect to the land in use, from payment of all arrears on a previous state, from recruitment for a period of 25 years, etc. Each family received 30 dessiatinas of land. According to the tax census of 1851, in Bessarabia there were registered 1966 Jewish farmers. By 1857 in Bessarabia there were already 13 Jewish colonies: in the counties of Hotin (1), Soroca (6) Iasi (2), Orhei (2), Chisinau (1), and Bender (1). Later the number of Jewish colonies has declined. In 1874 they had only 8 ones (including an uninhabited): 1 colony in the Iasi county and 7 colonies (including the uninhabited one) in the Soroca county. Although the Jewish farmers benefited from certain privileges and some measures were taken for their promotion, household level in the Jewish colonies was quite low, which proved the Jews’ inability of the agricultural labour and their negative attitude towards this branch of economy, since by their nature they tended to trade and crafts.

295-301

Authors: Ana Griţco

The present article is the result of a research of the museum collection of illustrated postcards representing the images of old Chişinău hotels in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. It aims to reflect some aspects of hotel life of those times, and also a particular architectural appearance, which, unfortunately, we can admire now only in photographs. Hotels have been and remain the face of the city. They also reflect the material achievements of urban civilization in Chişinău of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, especially after the installation of telegraph (1860) and construction of the railway line (1870s). This has contributed to the development of trade relations between Bessarabia and Russia, Bessarabia and Europe. Chişinău began to develop as the capital: there have been paved the streets, build public and administrative buildings, opened new factories and plants from abroad. So it is no accident that the owner of the first modern hotel was a Swiss Charles Thomas Selouidenis who in 1874 had rented the building at the intersection of Aleksandrovskaya and Seminarskaya streets (today – the corner of Stephen the Great Blvd and G. Banulescu-Bodoni St.). There was opened the Swiss Hotel, which existed for a long time, even after a change of ownership. At the beginning of the 20th century the number of hotels in Chisinau has increased substantially, enriching the “geography” of names: Paris, London, Bristol, Grand Hotel, National Hotel, Petersburg, France, etc. Most of them were located in the upper part of the city, near the banking, administrative, legal institutions. Time, full of destructive events, and human indifference wiped out these architectural jewels, with the exception of the Swiss and Palace Hotels, which are partially preserved, having lost some features of the exterior.

319-325

Authors: Liliana Condraticova

Dans cet article l’auteur parle sur l’activité des femmes joailleries dans la seconde moitié du XX-siècle. On souligne les principales directions dans ce domaine, les tendances en vogue, les possibilités et les perspectives pour l’orfèvrerie du Moldova. L’auteur rétabli aussi les nomes des femmes joailleries, apprécie leur rôle et le place dans l’évolution de l’art décorative du Moldova.

333-340

Authors: Ovidiu Turtureanu

Garbaciov’s “restructuring”, initiated in USSR and also in MSSR, with the hope to outrun the stagnation of Soviet State, has failed, having as result the starting of crises in the entire totalitarian-communist system. This situation is due to the fact that the Soviet society, including the MSSR society, was supersaturated by different problems not solved in time, with a high potential of conflict. We find the reason of failure to solve the issues in the Soviet ideology, which stated that the antagonism was proper to capitalist society and not improper to socialist society. Therefore, the Soviet State has not recognized the existing of conflict states in the Soviet society and as a living being the crises of Communist Party from USSR (also from MSSR) and the aggravation of conflict state reduced the “immunity” of totalitarian state, leading to: its disappearance and passing into history.

349-359

Authors: Octavian Zelinski

Because of difficult circumstances, including adverse initial conditions, the path to a market economy was difficult for most CIS countries. The process of economic and political reforms in the region lasted more than in Eastern Europe. The CIS countries are less advanced in market reforms than most countries of Eastern Europe. Despite some recent progress, the process of systemic reforms has been patchy and overall incoherent. Reforms in areas such as liberalization of prices and foreign trade, reinforcement of state enterprises and restructuring the ownership over production enterprises have marked biggest progress in Russia, while in the rest of CIS countries these reforms did not particularly advance. Reforms in other important areas, such as enforcement of the rule of law and implementation of competition policy have been slow everywhere. In this context, efforts to treat agriculture as a specific economic model, able to preserve elements of administrative control and centralized planning, will only contribute to a prolongation of the adverse effects on future generations, first in Moldova, a country with a strong agricultural specific of the population and economy. Central and Eastern European countries have a long experience of successful reform of post-socialist agriculture. This experience should be adapted and used in less advanced countries. Economy and contemporary history is characterized by dynamism and internationalism. Therefore, caution in economic reform in rural areas should not be associated with slowness. Moreover, public opinion is changing in CIS countries under the influence of failures of economic reforms and dramatic deterioration in living standards of the majority population.

373-378

Authors: Olga Shchipakina

The National Museum of Archaeology and History of Moldova owns the collection of badges dedicated to the development of civil aviation in the USSR, opening of airlines, and production of new aircrafts. These badges, whose number exceeds 200, were purchased from collectors in 1980s. The value of collection is constantly growing due to the great interest of collectors to documents and materials which reflect the Soviet period. The museum collection is a unique evidence of the history of Soviet aviation development expressed by small pieces of metal.

383-386

Authors: Sergiu Dobrea

Memorial museology was established in the European culture during the second half of the 19th century. However, we can speak about the creation of a memorial museum network in the space between the Dniester and Prut rivers only in the late 1980-s. Within this network there are different museum institutions in terms of their profile and typology. According to the typology we can mention the existence of museums dedicated to certain historical events and museums dedicated to famous people. The profile classification allows us to highlight two major groups of memorial museums: historical and literary ones.

393-399

Authors: Lucia Marinescu

Education for culture should occupy a central place in the interests of modern society. Cultural knowledge are essential for personal development of children, adolescents, and adults and, therefore, it should be seen as an important part of overall development of youth and should be regarded as one of the key aspects of their education. Education is a crucial element in the cultural policy and it should not be left entirely in the account of specialized institutions. Training people to join their culture is as important as preparing them for work. The two are interconnected, so Europe is moving from heavy industry to creative industries, the main engine of job creation. Public education allows a constant number of people to continue their careers in the cultural sector. As a consequence of such a reality, employment in this sector has increased substantially. Education at all levels, of course, is directly related to the formation of qualified workers who are so needed in the professions related to cultural heritage. In this sense, the pedagogy of cultural heritage would revitalize cultural life at local and regional levels through the diversity of activities carried out in direct relationship with the customers.