On the track of Stone Age hunters

The end of the glacial period: for thousands of years hunters had spent the winter season in the main valleys. When spring arrived they moved to high mountain regions more than 2,000 m above sea level, together with their extended families. The favourable weather conditions of the Mesolithic period (9,000-4,500 B.C.) and a large range of game above the timber-line made hunting easier at those altitudes rather than in the wooded valleys.

People moved to protected areas near the forest boundaries and mostly next to passes, where they sought shelter under the ledges of gigantic rocks. Many of these ledge shelters, enclosed by branches and twigs, were still in use many centuries later. In the higher situated hunting areas people arranged simple rest and observation posts for themselves.