Rare Editions of Works by Dimitrie and Antiochus Cantemir, Stored in the Collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova
Rare Editions of Works by Dimitrie and Antiochus Cantemir, Stored in the Collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova

Summary/Abstract: At present, the heritage of the National Museum of History of Moldova comprises 349,684 items, among which a particularly valuable segment is the collection of old books. This collection includes approximately 16,105 volumes published in the 18th and 19th centuries, reflecting the diversity and richness of the printed heritage of the period. A special place within this collection is held by eleven volumes authored by two of the most distinguished representatives of the Cantemir dynasty—Dimitrie and Antioh—emblematic figures of Romanian and European culture. These volumes, some of them printed during the authors’ lifetimes, are preserved under appropriate conservation conditions in the museum’s holdings and may be consulted by researchers, historians, philologists, and other specialists interested in Cantemir studies. The present study aims to highlight this segment of the museum’s collection through a synthetic presentation of the significant editions authored by Dimitrie and Antioh Cantemir. These works contribute substantially to understanding the evolution of humanist thought in the Romanian cultural space and to integrating national cultural heritage into the European context. At the same time, the digitization of these volumes within the scientific and innovative programs carried out by the National Museum of History of Moldova represents a necessary and natural step in making primary sources accessible to a wider public, while also contributing to the preservation and sustainable valorization of written heritage.

• Details
• Contents