An ancient megalithic monument near Chisinau. "Arrayed stones" of the Bâc River valley

By the end of the 19th century, a remarkable historical monument stood northwest of the city of Chisinau, - a row of menhirs, i.e. a series/row of large stone blocks vertically fixed in the ground. These menhirs were situated near a once well-known geographical landmark located in the valley of the Bâc River, known as the Cheile Bâcului (Bâc Gorges). For over three centuries, the menhirs and the Bâc Gorges have been mentioned, described, and analyzed in terms of their provenance and significance in the works and notes of various researchers, travelers, writers and amateurs of "antiquities". The purpose of this study is to gather and examine all the accumulated data about these landmarks (including previously unused sources), to determine their location on the topographic map, asses their geographical context, clarify their dimensions, specify when and under what circumstances they were destroyed.