The Sv. Križ archaeological site in Završje

At an altitude of 370 metres above sea level, near the village of Završje, lies the archaeological site of Sv. Križ with a breath-taking view of the Mirna river valley. The finds unearthed here include small flint arrowheads and unfinished axes, and a part of a broken obsidian blade from the Neolithic (7th-3rd millennium BC).

During the Bronze and Iron Ages, there used to be a quite large settlement at the site of today’s Sv. Križ. It was surrounded by two circular ramparts that can still be discerned.

The recently discovered remnants of residential and farm buildings, and parts of a fire pit, include almost intact pots, cups and dishes, some of which have been reconstructed. Among them were also parts of pithoi, large ceramic storage jars typical for the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Istria (13th-10th ct. BC).

In the ancient times, Sv. Križ belonged to the Trieste Ager. It is highly likely that a Roman military or civilian settlement, or a farm estate, was built in the 1st century in the place of the former hillfort, as evidenced by the remnants of tegulae (Roman terra cotta roof tiles) and amphorae from the ancient times found all over the area.