Editing Serbia (section)

===Prehistory and antiquity===
{{Main|Prehistoric sites in Serbia|Serbia in the Roman era}}
[[File:Vinca clay figure 02.jpg|thumb|130px|left|[[Vinča culture]] figurine, 4000–4500 BC]]
Archaeological evidence of [[Paleolithic]] settlements on the territory of present-day Serbia is scarce. A fragment of a hominid jaw found in [[Sićevo]] (Mala [[Balanica]]) is believed to be up to 525,000–397,000 years old.{{sfn|Roksandic|2011|pp=186–196}}

Approximately 6,500 BC, during the [[Neolithic]], the [[Starčevo culture|Starčevo]] and [[Vinča culture|Vinča]] cultures existed in the region of modern-day Belgrade. They dominated much of [[Southeast Europe]] as well as parts of [[Central Europe]] and [[Anatolia]]. Several important archaeological sites from this era, including [[Lepenski Vir]] and [[Vinča-Belo Brdo]], still exist near the [[Danube]].{{sfn|Chapman|1981|p=}}{{sfn|Srejović|1988|p=}}

During the [[Iron Age]], local tribes of [[Triballi]], [[Dardani]], and [[Autariatae]] were encountered by the [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] during their cultural and political expansion into the region, from the 5th up to the 2nd century BC. The Celtic tribe of [[Scordisci]] settled throughout the area in the 3rd century BC. It formed a tribal state, building several fortifications, including their capital at [[Singidunum]] (present-day Belgrade) and Naissos (present-day [[Niš]]).

The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] conquered much of the territory in the 2nd century BC. In 167 BC, the [[Roman province]] of [[Illyricum (Roman province)|Illyricum]] was established; the remainder was conquered around 75 BC, forming the Roman province of [[Moesia#History|Moesia Superior]]; the modern-day [[Srem District|Srem]] region was conquered in 9 BC; and Bačka and Banat in 106 AD after the [[Trajan's Dacian Wars|Dacian Wars]]. As a result of this, contemporary Serbia extends fully or partially over several former Roman provinces, including [[Moesia]], [[Pannonia]], [[Praevalitana]], [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]], [[Dacia]], and [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]]. Seventeen Roman Emperors were born in the area of modern-day Serbia, second only to contemporary Italy.{{sfn|Kuzmanović|Mihajlović|2015|pp=416–432}} The most famous of these was [[Constantine the Great]], the first Christian Emperor, who issued an edict ordering [[Edict of Milan|religious tolerance throughout the Empire]].
[[File:Gamzigrad - Felix Romuliana (by Pudelek) 7.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|left|Remnants of the [[Gamzigrad|Felix Romuliana Imperial Palace]], 298 [[Anno Domini|AD]], a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]; Some historians believe as many as 18 [[Roman emperor]]s were born in modern-day Serbia<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-41516191/exploring-serbia-s-rich-and-hidden-roman-history|title=Serbia's rich and hidden Roman history|work=BBC News|access-date=2 February 2020|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726113024/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-41516191/exploring-serbia-s-rich-and-hidden-roman-history|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2016/10/24/traces-of-empire-serbia-s-roman-heritage-10-07-2016/|title=Traces of Empire: Serbia's Roman Heritage|date=24 October 2016|website=Balkan Insight|access-date=2 February 2020|archive-date=10 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510073521/https://balkaninsight.com/2016/10/24/traces-of-empire-serbia-s-roman-heritage-10-07-2016/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

When the Roman Empire was divided in 395, most of Serbia remained under the [[Byzantine Empire]], and its northwestern parts were included in the [[Western Roman Empire]]. By the 6th century, [[South Slavs]] migrated into the Byzantine territory in large numbers.{{sfn|Ostrogorsky|1956|p=84}} They merged with the local [[Romanization (cultural)|Romanised]] population that was gradually assimilated.{{sfn|Stipčević|1977|p=76}}{{sfn|Fine|1991|pp=38, 41}}{{sfn|Miller|2005|p=533}}