Went to a really interesting lecture the other night at the National Bank of Serbia, where a well-known Serbian archeologist spoke about the Lepenski Vir culture. Lepenski Vir is an important Mesolithic archeological site located in Eastern Serbia, consisting of one large settlement with around 10 satellite villages. The first excavations were made in 1965. Evidence suggests the first human presence in the locality around dates from around 7000 BC and reached its peak between 5300 BC and 4800 BC. Numerous sculptures and peculiar architecture are testimony to a rich social and religious life led by the inhabitants and the high cultural level of these early Europeans. It was only in 1967 that its importance was fully understood when the first Mesolithic sculptures were discovered. The excavations ended in 1971 when the whole site was relocated 29.7 meters higher to avoid flooding from a new artificial lake created in the Iron Gorge, where the Danube flows between the Carpathian and Balkan Mountains. This little guy is called "The Family Founder."
