Archeology

The TNP area is extremely rich in findings from various archaeological periods.

In the course of the ten-year UNESCO-MAB research programme titled 3000 Years of Iron Industry and Pastoral Economy in the Julian Alps (1997-2006), several high-altitude sites with material evidence on the periodical presence of Mesolithic hunters, shepherds and miners were found, recorded and partially researched. The archaeological excavations in the TNP were led by the Gorenjsko Museum and the Tolmin Museum in cooperation with the Institute for Archaeology ZRC SAZU and the TNP Public Institution. Most Stone Age archaeological sites are located on the Soča side of the TNP, in particular in the Krn mountains, whereas the findings from the Gorenjsko side of the park date back to the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman Age (antique) periods.

Medieval pottery and the remains of medieval dwellings have been found and recorded on all old pastures. This points to the continuity in the pastoral and mining activities from the Roman period to the Modern Age.