Permanent exhibitions - NMS

Neanderthal flute from Divje babe

Two appliqués from the shore of Lake Bled

Idol from the Ljubljana Marsh

The Earliest Stories from the Crossroads disclose the furthest and most mysterious past of the territory of Slovenia, as evidenced by the archaeological finds from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. We can find out about the life of the Palaeolithic nomadic hunters and gatherers (Neanderthals and anatomically modern people), we can see how the territory of Slovenia was permanently settled and how the production economy began in the Neolithic, we can step into their settlements – pile dwellings and forts – and discover the great changes brought by the metallurgical achievements of the Copper and Bronze Ages.

The most beautiful and most precious finds from the collection of the National Museum of Slovenia are on display, from superior stone and pottery products from the pile dwellings of the Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana Marshes), to the Bled appliqués, the oldest gold objects on Slovenian soil: these all go to show that the inhabitants of this territory have lived to a high cultural standard since ancient times. A special position in the new exhibition is taken by the oldest musical instrument in the world, the Neanderthal flute from Divje babe.

With the Earliest Stories from the Crossroads, we are completing the new permanent exhibition of archaeological collections at the National Museum of Slovenia under the common title Stories from the Crossroads. The Iron Age Stories, Roman Stories and Medieval Stories have been opened one by one since 2014. Like all the archaeological periods, Prehistory is also presented in a concise catalogue to accompany the exhibition in a Slovenian and English (forthcoming) edition.