Prehistory of Serbia: A Breef Overview

Abstract

esearch has shown that the territory present-day Serbia was continuously inhabited from the earliest prehistoric to historic times. Covering most of what is Serbia today, the Central Balkans acted as an important migration corridor that connected Southwest Asia with Central and Western Europe. Moreover, the Central Balkans represented an important ecological and social refugium for European human communities during harsh glacial periods and other crises. The highest population densities throughout the region’s prehistory were recorded in river valleys, as well as the lowland and low hilly areas at their peripheries, while occupations of hilly-mountainous areas were more frequent during Paleolithic and Metal Ages. Apart from historical and social circumstances, population densities and the occurrence of specific settlement patterns were also influenced by the distribution of mineral and food resources exploited during particular intervals. Prehistoric cultural and demographic links between the Balkans and Central Europe or Southwest Asia have been well documented. However, the Balkans also saw the rise of authentic cultural manifestations such as the Lepenski Vir culture which have not been documented in other parts of Europe.