Balanica is a cave complex and paleoarchaeological site in the City of Niš' municipality of Niška Banja in southeast Serbia. It consists of Velika Balanica and Mala Balanica. The entrances of two caves are 7 m (23 ft) apart, at an elevation of 329 m (1,079 ft), and form one cave system. A third cave, Pešturina, is also nearby. The two Balanica caves extend parallel to each other, likely being connected at the rear.
Hemi-mandible BH-1 discovered in Mala Balanica. Belonging to Heildelberg Man, it is estimated to be 397,000-525,000 years old
Remains of the cliff-dwelling Alpine ibex are the most abundant in the caves. The ibex has since gone extinct in this part of Europe
Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Southeast and Central Europe, located in the Balkans and the Pannonian Plain. It borders Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest. Serbia claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants, excluding Kosovo. Its capital Belgrade is also the largest city.
Lepenski Vir idol, 7000 BC
Vinča culture figurine, 4000–4500 BC
Remnants of the Felix Romuliana Imperial Palace, 298 AD, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; as many as 18 Roman emperors were born in modern-day Serbia
The Battle of Kosovo (1389) is particularly important to Serbian history, tradition and national identity.