Vinča
VR Exhibition

Vinča Culture. First Modern Age. The transformation of rock into metal is a process that enabled humans to become masters of the world. And it was in Vinča, two and a half thousand years before the construction of the great pyramids in Giza, that metalworking began. In pouring a first few drops of metal out of the fire, the people of Vinča began a torrent that would forever change the course of civilization. Vinča Culture is a term that covers a period of the Late Stone Age (5300-4500 BC) that witnessed an immense and unprecedented explosion of creativity, technological progress and population growth across a vast swathe of territory that today includes parts of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and the entire Republic of Serbia. Almost immediately upon its discovery, Vinča Culture was recognized as one of the most significant sites globally in the development of modern human society. What’s more, as modern research technologies became available, several sensational discoveries further served to cement the importance of Vinča Culture in the global story of mankind. Vinča people abandoned simple hunting and gathering economy as they become producers, traders, and artisans. Before the construction of modern roads, people and goods were transported by water. Vinča was therefore both an important terminal, as well as one of the most important early European transport hubs - a kind of Frankfurt airport of Neolithic Europe. In Vinča, humans formed notions of cooperation, coexistence, and community in ways that the world had not seen before, not only ushering in a remarkable era of social advancement but also unlocking incredible creative and innovative potential. The beauty of Vinča ceramics is a story by itself – exquisite figurines decorated with meandering motifs, or the multi-colored vessels whose vibrant colors are made exclusively by ignition control, a technique that is still very difficult to perform today. Special thanks to Belgrade City Museum and Archaeological site Vinča - Faculty of Philosophy for granting us access to digitalized exhibits essential for this virtual exhibition.