The earliest traces of human habitation in the local territory date back to the protohistoric period. Two villages have been identified on the shores of an ancient lake, one on the slopes of Dos di Pez, the other down valley from the current settlement of Mechel. There were sanctuaries uphill of both settlements, at Campi Neri and Valemporga.
The oldest artefacts, a number of axes, can be dated back to the Neolithic Period. These instruments testify that the area was visited for gathering raw materials, but these were sporadic finds and indicate nothing about the dynamics of settlement. Towards the end of the Copper Age (2500 - 2000 B.C.) in the Campi Neri di Cles area, the first structures of an “open air” sanctuary were established and frequented until the Late Roman Period (IV century A.D.). The excavated strata reveal ritualistic practices involving fire and associated food offerings. From the Late Bronze Age (XIII century B.C.), in parallel to the site in Campi Neri another place of worship was developed in Valemporga di Mechel, again frequented until the Late Roman Period.
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