Geography & Chronology

With mountains and great plains crisscrossed by many rivers, the geographical landscape of ancient southeastern Europe was as wide and diverse as its cultures. The region is delineated at its northern frontier by the Carpathian Basin, to the south by the Balkan Mountains, to the west by the Adriatic coast, and to the east by the Black Sea. Although parts of this region are sometimes referred to as “the Balkans” in modern history, the contemporary nation-states outlined on the map below do not necessarily align with how the ancients organized the spaces they inhabited.

Map by Priya Barchi and Laura Grey

Hover over the map to see an object from the indicated excavation site. Click the pop-up to learn more about a related theme.

The chronological scope of this presentation is equally broad and includes finds from some of the first settled agricultural communities in the Neolithic Era (ca. 8,500–6,500 years ago) to artworks from well-established societies of traders and aristocrats in the Iron Age (ca. 3,000–2,100 years ago). This periodization—Neolithic, Copper, Bronze, and Iron—is defined by the development of specific technologies. Since those innovations occurred at slightly different times in different regions, archaeologists often use period terms rather than fixed dates.