Slavic Settlement of the Balkans

Timeline

1. 600–626Middle and lower Danube · BalkansThe Avar khaganate and its Slavic vassal tribes repeatedly struck the Byzantine Danube defenses. Defenses at Pristina, Thessalonica, and elsewhere were strained, many towns were sacked, and imperial control of the Balkan interior weakened sharply, creating conditions for deep Slavic settlement.
2. 626–670Balkan interior · BalkansSlavic tribes established villages widely along river valleys and in the mountains, practicing farming, herding, and hunting. Archaeological evidence shows Slavic-type pottery and settlement sites appearing across the Balkans by the mid-7th century, indicating a growing settled population, with Slavic communities also emerging near Byzantine towns.
3. 670–700Balkan Peninsula · BalkansBy the late 7th century the Slavs had formed several larger tribal alliances, sometimes clashing with and sometimes being contained by Byzantium. The empire still held strongholds such as Thessalonica, but most of the Balkans trended toward Slavization, laying the demographic and cultural groundwork for the founding of Bulgaria in the 8th century and the rise of later Slavic states.