Archaeological exhibition

The permanent archaeological exhibition, which covers the period from the late Stone Age to the last centuries of Antiquity, presents the settlement of the narrower area of Dolenjska, that is, the region between Gorjanci, Kočevski Rog and the Sava, from Valična Vas and Veliki Gaber in the west and over to Šentjernej in the east.

Its wealth ranks it among the most important such collections of movable heritage in Slovenia, since it presents unique items whose pricelessness, rarity and historical importance give it top place on a European scale.

The main body of the exhibition comprises grave finds from Novo Mesto. The presentation from the late Bronze Age graveyard in the city allotments features large, single-piece pottery urns and tiny metal and glass funerary items.

The display from the early Iron Age graveyard of Novo Mesto – Kandija features a wealth of metal, glass and amber material from the women’s graves, and metal weapons, plus exceptional bronze helmets and armour, from the men’s graves. The picture is completed by a rich collection of pottery vessels of diverse design and decoration. The importance of Novo Mesto in the early Iron Age is illustrated by no less than eight figurally decorated bronze situlas, which rank among the very finest artistic works of their time. The Hallstatt material in the Dolenjska Museum represents the Dolenjska group of the southeastern Alpine Hallstatt culture, which left an indelible mark on Europe at that time, and today it represents our most important national cultural heritage.

The exhibition also features finds from Medvedjek, Volčje Njive, Verdun pri Stopičah, Zloganj and Trebnje. The finds from Antiquity illustrate the provincial life in this area from the 1st to the 4th century AD.

photogallery »

Novo mesto, Kandija, bronasti prsni oklep, negovska čelada, narebrena cista, lončene posode, nakit, 7. - 4. stoletje pr. n. št.

Novo Mesto, Chapter House field, glass profiled bracelets, 3–2nd century BC