Prehistory

    We do not really know when the first man appeared in the region under the great extinct volcano Po¾ana. The beginnings of its settlement go back as far as middle Stone Age (8,000 – 5,000 B.C.), as has been documented by archeological findings on the territory of our region and the region of Zvolen. However, the colonisation of the region of Detva began in the early and middle Bronze Age (3,000 – 1,250 B.C.), which was archeologically proven by finding of an incrusted pottery from so-called „northpannonian“ culture (a Bronze Age culture in Central Europe) near Chrapková. 

The numerous archeological findings from Lusatian culture in the locality of Ka¾amárka come from the late Bronze Age (1,250 – 700 B.C.). Shards and a fragment of a strainer found near Melichova skala rock go back as far as Hallstatt culture (700 – 400 B.C.). In the year 1929 bronze axes, knife and a hand stone mill were found in the region. In the fourth century B.C. the territory of Slovakia was inhabited by the Celts who remained here for a long period of time. Besides them the dominating culture was the so-called La Téne culture. This has been documented by findings of a burial, an iron sword with a sabretache and a belt, a spear, lance endings and millstones. Most of these findings are exposed in the Slovak National Museum in Martin. 

Around the years 181 – 380 A.D. was the middle part of Slovakia, as well as the region of Detva, strongly influenced by Romans, even though they did not settle the area permanently. In the year 1929 their presence in the region has been documented by finding of silver Roman coins (Roman denarius). Very rich are the archeological findings from the times of Great Moravia. The finding of the long carolingian sword proves that Slavs traded with their western neighbors. The Slavic findings were found around localities of Chrapková, Ka¾amárka, Malá Kopa, Vrchdetva, Ostrôžok and Mních. There were found iron ploughs, lances, heavy two-edged sword, shards, bones, two shares, iron spear, stone from a hand mill etc. there. These findings can be found in the in the Forestry and Timber Museum in Zvolen.