Serbia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many nations.
History
The territory of present-day Serbia is situated in the central region of
Balkan peninsula. It lies on one of the major migration routes connecting the Middle East with central Europe. Traces of human population in this area go back to at least to 400 000 (see Sićevo Gorge). Morava-Vardar
corridor has seen regular waves of migrations throughout its history. It is one of the probable paths of original human expansion into Europe.
This region was home to several important
Asia minor
to central Europe.
Archeological sites in present-day Serbia contain some of the earliest examples of metallurgy, especially copper processing.
During the Bronze Age this area has seen several large migrations of various
A fragment of a human jaw, was found in Sićevo (Mala Balanica) and believed to be up to 525,000–397,000 years old.[4][5][6] Many archaeological sites have been destroyed because of floodings.
Mesolithic
Main article:
Iron Gates culture
hunter gatherer culture from the end of the last ice age
. Archeological evidence of human habitation of the surrounding caves dates back to around 20,000 BC. The first settlement on the low plateau dates back to 7000 BC, a time when the climate became significantly warmer. Seven successive settlements were discovered on the Lepenski Vir site, with the remains of 136 residential and sacral buildings dating from 6500 to 5500 BC. Among other finds are the many characteristic sculptures, The sculptures can be separated into two distinct categories, one with simple geometric patterns and the other representing humanoid figures. The latter are the most interesting. All of these figural sculptures were modelled in a naturalistic and strongly expressionistic manner. Only the head and face of the human figures were modelled realistically, with strong brow arches, an elongated nose, and a wide, fish-like mouth. Hair, beard, arms and hands can be seen on some of the figures in a stylized form. Many fish-like features can be noticed. Along with the position which these sculptures had in the house shrine, they suggest a connection with river gods.
Roman Serbia). The Thracians, most notably Triballi dominated Serbia before the Illyrian migration in the southwest.[13]Greeks colonized the south in the 4th century BC, the northernmost point of the empire of Alexander the Great being the town of Kale.[14]
Gaius Porcius Cato and then defeated in 107 BC, but are still holding a significant part of Pannonia. They invade Macedonia with the Dardani and Maedi, coming as far as Delphi
, plundering the temple but are eventually defeated and driven across the Danube in 88 BC. There they are subjugated by the Dacians under Burebista in 56–50 BC, and finally, in 15 BC they are Roman subjects, beginning their Romanization.
In parts of Moesia (northeast Serbia) the Celtic Scordisci and Thracians lived besides each other, evident in the archeological findings of pits and treasures, spanning from 3rd to 1st centuries BC.[19]
Ćirković, Sima; Srejović, Dragoslav; Mihaljčić, Rade (1994). Историја српског народа: Од најстаријих времена до Маричке битке (1371). Belgrade: Српска књижевна задруга.
Srejović, Dragoslav (2001). Искуства прошлости. Belgrade: Janus, Ars Libri.
Stalio, B.; Vukmanović, M. (1977). Neolit na tlu Srbije. Narodni muzej.
Tasić, Nikola; Srejović, Dragoslav; Stojanović, Bratislav (1990). Винча: Центар неолитске културе у Подунављу [Vinča: Centre of the Neolithic culture of the Danubian region]. Belgrade: Центар за археолошка истраживања Филозофског факултета.
Stojić, Milorad (2001). "Kulturne tradicije na prostoru na kome će se formirati i razvijati Tribali". Зборник радова Филозофског факултета у Приштини. 31: 253–264.
Filipović, V. M., 2015. Naoružanje i ratnička oprema u kulturama poznog bronzanog i starijeg gvozdenog doba na teritoriji Srbije, Makedonije, Crne Gore i Albanije (Doctoral dissertation, Univerzitet u Beogradu-Filozofski fakultet).