Three major peoples of early Serbian history:
1. Illyrians
- Active period: from around 2000 BC
- Territory: mainly the western Balkans, including today's western Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania.
- Profile: the Illyrians were a tribal-confederation society, skilled in metallurgy and warfare, and frequently clashed with the Greeks and Romans.
- Some of their branches later mingled with the Celts.
2. Thracians
- Active period: from around 2000 BC through the Roman era
- Territory: mainly today's Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and eastern Serbia.
- Profile: the Thracians were known for their warrior culture and distinctive religious rites, especially the cult of Orpheus.
3. Celts
- Active period: expanded into the Balkans around the 4th century BC
- Territory: especially along the Danube basin, including today's central and northern Serbia (around Belgrade)
- Profile: the Celts founded settlements in the Balkans (such as Scordisci's city), merged with local populations, and left behind metalwork, pottery, and religious remains.
A multicultural mosaic before Roman rule
Before the Romans conquered the Balkan Peninsula, this region was a zone of exchange, conflict, and fusion among the three peoples above and their many tributary tribes.
In today's Serbia in particular, archaeologists have uncovered abundant Illyrian, Thracian, and Celtic remains along the Danube and Morava river basins.
In summary
Serbia was not always "Slavic land" — the Slavs only migrated southward to this region in the 6th-7th centuries AD. Long before that, this land was already deeply shaped by the Illyrians, Thracians, Celts, and other ancient peoples, a historical crossroads of multiple civilisations.