ARCHAEOWILD is a three-year research project funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia under the IDEAS Programme. The project investigates conflict and coexistence between humans and the wild world—wild plants and animals—throughout the Holocene in the Central Balkans.

The first project of Digital Ancient People is the face of a Mesolithic man whose remains were discovered at the Lepenski Vir site in eastern Serbia, on the banks of the Danube. It was established that at the time of his death, he was about 50 years old, was about 178 cm tall, weighed 70 kg, and mainly ate fish. He was buried in the “lotus” position, indicating that he played an important role in the community.

The BIRTH project is the first project in Serbia that was financed by the European Commission, and as such it was extremely important not only for the researchers who participated in it but also for all researchers in the country. We investigated the biological and cultural mechanisms influencing fertility rates during the Neolithic demographic transition in the Central Balkans (10000-5000 BC).

The prehistoric heritage of Serbia is an inseparable and important part of European culture. People who created (pre)neolithic cultures like Lepenski Vir, Starčevo, or Vinča can be considered the founders of ancient Europe. Unfortunately, the great scientific potential of this heritage is insufficiently used, considering the great possibilities of applying the methods of natural sciences in the reconstruction of the past.