THE PEOPLE OF VINČA

Between 5300 and 4500 BCE, the territory of present-day Serbia and the central Balkans emerged as a cultural center of Europe. At the site of modern-day Vinča, a large settlement developed, functioning as a central hub—or a metropolis—of a cultural complex within which European Neolithic civilization reached its zenith. The archaeological evidence attesting to the remarkable achievements of Neolithic Vinča and the Vinča culture is both compelling and provocative, and rightly regarded as one of the most fascinating phenomena in European archaeology. Technological innovations, the earliest known evidence of ore processing and metallurgy, advanced housing standards, peaceful social relations, care for children, cooperation rather than conflict, trade networks, and dietary and clothing practices strikingly similar to those of the modern era, all contribute to the characterization of the Vinča culture as representing the first truly modern age.