Archeological monuments

As opposed to settlements of prehistoric man in the open air, settlements situated in grottos and caverns are to be seldom found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Instead, they have a considerable age, frequently dating from the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic). According to data provided by the Professor I. Hancu "settlements, which are under protection by the State, are located in grottos and caverns in the neighborhood of the villages of Brinzeni, Buzdujeni and Trinca (Judets of Edinet), village of Ofatinti (Transdniestria) and villages of Horodiste and Duruitoarea Veche. In total only nine settlements, situated in caverns and grottos have been found, where population of the current Republic of Moldova used to live during Paleolithic and Mesolithic Age. The oldest settlements are the ones located in the cavern not far from the village of Ofatinti and grotto in the neighborhood of the village of Duruitoarea. The Branzeni grotto proved to be the richest one in archeological samples, where about 8 thousand of flint objects have been discovered during archeological digs.

Old Duruitoarea, general view