Neanderthals and Vučedol Culture

• Neanderthal remains were discovered in Hušnjakovo near Krapina, Northern Croatia.
• Neanderthals were more muscular than Homo sapiens and adapted to cold climates.
• Neanderthals were skilled hunters with knowledge of tools and fire, and cared for their elderly and sick.

Neanderthal Theories

• The admixture theory suggests Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals, evidenced by 1-4% of Neanderthal genes in modern Europeans and Middle Easterners.
• The replacement theory posits that Homo sapiens outcompeted Neanderthals due to genetic incompatibility, superior hunting skills, or even genocide.

Vučedol Culture

• The Vučedol culture existed from 3000-2200 BC.
• It was one of Europe's most advanced Bronze Age cultures.
• Notable for its pottery (Vučedol Dove), advanced metal tools/weapons, and a possible early European calendar (Vučedol vase).
• Contemporary cultures included Sumer, Early Dynastic Period Egypt, and early Troy settlements.
• Bronze Age Vučedol had approximately 3000 inhabitants.
• At its peak, the Vučedol culture covered parts or all of 14 modern European countries.
• The shaman-smith was in charge of Vučedol settlements.
• The shaman-smith oversaw coppersmithing, understanding how to avoid poisonous arsenic gas.
• Physical effects of coppersmithing on the shaman-smith: loss of coordination (limping) and increased sexual potency.
• Recent interpretations suggest the Vučedol Dove represents a partridge.
• The male partridge symbolizes fertility and exhibits limping behavior when threatened, connecting it to the shaman-smith's arsenic-induced limp.

Vinkovci

• Vinkovci is Europe's oldest continuously inhabited urban settlement, with 8300 years of habitation since the Neolithic period.
• The Vinkovci vase astral calendar is based on the Orion cycle.

Illyrians

• Illyrian tribes arrived around 800 BC.
• Notable Illyrian tribes: Histri, Liburni, Delmatae.
• The Illyrians were known for their warrior culture, shipbuilding, and resistance to the Romans.
• In 168 BC, the Illyrians were defeated by the Romans, marking the beginning of Roman expansion in Croatia.
• The Romans divided the area into Pannonia and Dalmatia.

Greeks

• The Greeks established colonies in Croatia in the 4th century BC.
• Important Greek colonies: Pharos (Stari Grad, Hvar), Tragurion (Trogir), and Issa (Vis).
• The Greeks introduced urban planning and trade networks.

Romans

• Roman rule lasted from 9 AD – 476 AD, almost 500 years.
• The capital of the province Dalmatia was Salona (Solin).
• The Via Flavia was a road connecting Pula to Italy.
• The Romans established major urban centers, a road network, aqueducts, and military camps.
• The Pula Arena was constructed in the 1st century AD.
• The Pula Arena could hold up to 23,000 spectators.

Croats, Kingdom, and Beyond

• The Croats arrived in the 7th century.
• King Tomislav was the first Croatian king.
• The Croatian Kingdom was independent from 925 – 1102.
• In 1102, the Croatian Kingdom entered a personal union with Hungary under King Coloman.
• Hungary ruled most of Croatia from the 14th – 17th century.
• The Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) abolished slavery in 1416.
• Croatia was known as the Antemurale Christianitatis (Bulwark of Christianity) for being the last defense against the Ottomans.
• The Habsburgs ruled over Croatia in the 18th-19th century.
• Croatian soldiers were known as Grenzers.
• Croatia severed ties with Austria-Hungary in 1918.
• Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
• The Croatian War of Independence lasted 4 years, from 1991-1995.
• Croatia joined the EU in 2013.
• Croatia joined the Eurozone in 2023.
• Croatia's current population is 3.8 million.