The Balkans can increasingly be seen as a key crossroads region, connecting the Near East with the rest of Europe. Such movements of ancient human foragers were not always from east to west; eastward dispersals into the Near East also occurred. The Balkans also served as an interaction zone, where encounters between incoming and indigenous human groups led to the exchange of ideas and genes. Recently increased intensity of study in the region has led to the discovery of genetic evidence for interbreeding (Neanderthals and modern humans), as well as rock art and possible early seafaring evidence.

Ruiz-Redondo and Davies set out new frameworks for future research. The Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers of South-Eastern Europe is the first volume to evaluate the long hunter-gatherer prehistory of South-Eastern Europe, drawing together the latest evidence to restore this region to its full geographical and human evolutionary importance. This includes evidence of shifting raw material and subsistence economies, human remains and ancient DNA, and pre-Neolithic ceramics.