Iron Gates Mesolithic
The Iron Gates Mesolithic is a Mesolithic archaeological culture dated to between 13,000 and 6,000 years cal BCE, in the Iron Gates region of the Danube River, in modern Romania and Serbia.
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| Geographical range | Iron Gates, Danube Valley |
| Period | Mesolithic |
| Dates | 13,000–6000 BCE |
| Type site | Lepenski Vir |
| Preceded by | Epigravettian |
| Followed by | First Temperate Neolithic |
The people who inhabited the Iron Gates area during this period of time have been surmised, through archaeological discoveries, to have lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, living off food they gather from land or from the Danube River. Varying burial practices have also been observed by these people.
Major sites within this archaeological complex include Lepenski Vir. Despite a foraging economy, stages at this site dated at c. 6300–6000 BCE have been described as "the first city in Europe", due to its permanency, organisation, as well as the sophistication of its architecture and construction techniques. Lepenski Vir consists of one large settlement with around 10 satellite villages. Numerous piscine sculptures and peculiar architecture have been found at the site.