Ponikve near Trebnje – a settlement near Temenica river

The past under the highway

The Prince’s Room of the Permanent Archaeological Exhibition in the Dolenjska Museum is intended for occasional archaeological exhibitions that bring new insights into archeology, newly discovered sites or presentations of archaeological material from depots. During the construction of the Dolenjska highway route, intensive archaeological research of large areas took place at the beginning of the 21st century. The research brought new insights into the settlement of Dolenjska in different periods of time. During the preparation of the permanent archaeological exhibition Archaeological Image of Dolenjska, opened to the public in 2008, we have already included some newly discovered sites. Many, however, are as yet unpublished and unknown to the public. One of the sites, the material was handed over for permanent storage to the Dolenjska Museum in April 2021, is presented at this occasional archeological exhibition. The expert publication of the site was published in the collection Archeology on Slovenian highways (AAS Collection).

Ponikve near Trebnje – a settlement near Temenica river

At the archeological exhibition, we present a selection of materials from the Ponikve site near Trebnje. This is a systematically researched archaeological site on the highway route Bič – Hrastje, subsection Ponikve – Pluska.
Protective excavations, the client was DARS, d.d., the company for highways in the Republic of Slovenia, were taken over by the company Tica Sistem d.o.o. from Planina, under the leadership of dr. Gojko Tica. The site was explored in 2007 and 2008.
Archaeological excavations at the site have identified five periods of settlement – the Late Stone Age or. Neolithic, Bronze Age, Roman period, early Middle Ages and modern / recent period. All periods are presented with a small selection of finds.
The most intensive was the settlement in the Late Stone Age or. Neolithic. Ponikve are considered to be the first Neolithic site in the Trebnje area. According to the pottery and stone material that was documented in the living caves or dwelling pits, probably pit-houses, the site dates back to the 5th millennium BC.
The exhibition is enriched with a drawing reconstruction by Tamara Korošec, a scene of life from the 5th millennium BC.

Author of the exhibition: Petra Stipančić, Dolenjska Museum Novo mesto
External collaborators: Mateja Ravnik and dr. Gojko Tica