Serbia

History

Prehistory

In prehistoric times, the area that Serbia now occupies was dominated by the Neolithic archeological Vinča (Serbian: Винчанска култура) culture, from around 5000-4000 BC. The Vinča culture was one of the, technologically, most developed neolithic cultures in Europe. Metallurgy of copper in Europe was first developed there and some of the earliest examples of copper tools originated in Vinča. This culture expanded over the territories of today's Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria. The Vinča culture was discovered and named by Serbian archeologist Miloje Vasić in 1908.

The area would change rule from the Dacians, Thracians, Illyrians, Romans. The city of Belgrade in ancient times was called Singidunum and was settled by Celts.

The south Slavic people (Serbs, Croatians, Bosnians) would eventually settle the Balkans in the 7th cenutry. The Slavic people would be allowed to settle in the area by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius. The Slavs would settle the area in the Balkans which was referred to as Sclavinia. The first Serbian ruler known by name was Prince Višeslav who ruled from 768-814, he managed to unite several Serb tribes and provinces into a unified state that would eventually become known as Rascia (Serbian: Raška).

Serbia is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans. Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and the largest city.

Serbs formed a medieval kingdom that evolved into a Serbian , which reached its peak in the 14th century. In the 16th century Serbian lands were conquered by Ottomans. Serbia regained independence from the Ottoman Empire in a 19th century revolution and subsequently expanded its territory. Former Habsburg crown-land of Vojvodina joined Serbia in 1918. Following the end of World War I , the country united with other South Slavic peoples into a Yugoslav state.

Serbia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and Council of Europe which it presided over in 2007. The country is also an EU membership applicant and militarily neutral country.