The archeological research of the Old Orhei complex started out in 1947,when Gh. Smirnov launched the first investigations in the field.

In the years 1947-1962 under the leading of Gh. Smirnov were discovered and investigated to a greater or lesser degree a range of archeological pieces considered classic for the Old Orhei complex. Among theses we could mention the Gaeto-Dacian Butuceni Fortress, VIII-III cent. BC; the small Trebujeni-Potarca fortress dated V-II cent. BC; ground fortress from the XII-XIII cent.; the stone fortress dated XIV-XVI centuries; the Palace of the chief magistrate of the Orhei district; the stone khan from the XIV century, the stone bathing houses from the XIV century, the churches from the XV-XVI centuries; the ground fortifications of the medieval city, and others.

After a five-year break, in 1968, P. Barnea, who coordinated the archeological researches of this complex till 1991, had resumed the excavations at Old Orhei. In this time at Old Orhei had been investigated mainly the trace from the period of the Golden Horde (XIV century) and from the times of the medieval city Orhei.

Beside the above-mentioned investigations, starting with 198 till now, at the archeological complex Old Orhei activates productively university professor Ion Niculita. He focussed his attention upon certain objects from the Gaeto-Dacian period nearby the medieval city. Until 1996 Mr. Niculita investigated the Gaeto-Dacian fortress on the Butuceni headland dated VIII-III centuries BC. Since 1997 – the Trebujeni-Potarca fortress from the V-II centuries BC.

Ion Hancu resumed in 1993 the archeological researches in the Old Orhei City. In three years concentrated upon problems of museographic origins within the archeological complex.

Beginning with 1996, Gh. Postica coordinates the archeological excavations at Old Orhei. In 1996-1998 the investigations at Old Orhei were focused on two main areas: establishing the chronology of the two medieval fortresses and researching the cultural vestiges from the II century BC, and from the VI-XI centuries AD. The archeological excavations during these years were performed in close collaboration with the Medieval City Museum Complex of Old Orhei. Simultaneously with the above mentioned works, regularly were performed excavations at the Mascauti - Livada Boierului settlement nearby Old Orhei.

In the last three years, aiming to the increase of the prestige of the Old Orhei archeological complex and to a wide spread of these unique monument, a series of scientific, didactic-instructive events have been organized within the Old Orhei archeological work site.

On August 1-2, 1997, the International Seminar “50 years of archeological investigations at the Old Orhei museum reservation; problems and perspectives” took place at Butuceni. Among the participants were well known historians, archeologists and architects from the Republic of Moldova and Romania (Asavoaie Costica, Bazgu Eugen, Chiriac Costel, Candea Ioan, Chicus Nicolae, Diaconu Petre, Gorodenco Anatol, Hancu Ion, Lupu Emil, Munteanu Octavian, Musteata Sergiu, Niculita Ion, Nesterova Tamara, Postica Gheorghe, Sarbu Valeriu, Teodor Silvia, Tentiuc Ion) , leading personalities of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and of the museum complex (Ghenadie Ciobanu – minister, Valentina Tozloanu- vice minister, Silvia Ciubotaru – director of the Cultural Patrimony Department, and Lilia Colta – director of the Old Orhei complex). At the seminar a number of papers were presented and debated dedicated to the Old Orhei complex (Ion Hancu, Gh. D. Smirnov – the first investigator of the archeological monuments from the Old Orhei area, Gheorghe Postica “ The history of the archeological researches at the Old Orhei museum reservation”, Ion Niculita “The Gaeto-Thracian sites from the Old Orhei area and their scientific significance”, Tamara Nesterov “ The Old Orhei architecture”, Gheorghe Postica and Ion Hancu “ About dating of the stone fortresses at Old Orhei”).

In the years 1997-1998 at the archeological work site Old Orhei, the Center of Archeological researches from the Republic of Moldova with the financial support from Moldova Soros Foundation, HESP programs, East East (coordinator - A. Coretchi) and Prodidactica (coordinator – l. Ivanovici) organized and achieved the Old Orhei Summer School program. The Summer School activated during two months, simultaneously with the archeological excavations, comprising of two cycles: school (during the month of July) and university (during the month of August). Within the school were organized courses for high school students from the villages around Old Orhei (Butuceni, Trebujeni, Morovaia and Mascauti) and for university students studying history and candidates for doctoral degree from Moldova, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian universities, with active participation of many university professors from these countries.

During the years 1996-1998 many well-known experts in the fields of archeology visited the Old Orhei archeological work site. They held discussions edge of excavations and made proposals for a more thorough research of the monument. Among these experts we mention: Dr. Silvia Teodor, Dr. Dan Teodor, Dr. Ioan Caprosu (Iasi), Dr. Petre Roman, Dr. Nicolae Constantinescu, Dr. Mircea Babes, Dr. Petre Diaconu (Bucuresti), Dr. Ionel Candea, Dr. Valeriu Sarbu (Braila), Dr. Leonid Kazlasov (Moscow), Dr. Vitalie Pidgaetki (Dnepropetrovsk), Dr. Viorel Capitanu (Bacau), etc.

Between 1993-1998 the archeological investigations within the Old Orhei complex was supported by different institutions from the field. Among these we mention the Moldovan state University (rector-Gheorghe Rusnac, dean Ion Niculita) and Romanian Institute of Thraciology (director Petre Roman) performed investigations about thraco-gaetic objects (Butuceni and Potarca fortresses), Free International University of Moldova (rector Andrei Galban, dean Pavel Parasca), Pedagogical University “Ion Creanga” (rector Ion Gutu, dean Nicolae Chicus), and Center for archeological researches from the Republic of Moldova (director Gh. Postica), who performed researches within the medieval city of Old Orhei. In the last two years the archeological investigations at Old Orhei have been supported by the Moldova Soros foundation, which assisted financially the implementation of the Summer School Program.

Gh. Postica, November 22, 1998

• Foreword
• The archeological complex Old Orhei
• Monumental Buildings
• Archeological researches in the years 1996-1998
• Orhei Codrii
• The chronology of the medieval stone fortress
• Cave Monasteries
• The index of early medieval archeological monuments