ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN AGATHOPOLIS – AULEOUTEICHOS – AHTOPOL (Diana Gergova – dianagergova@gmail.com, Nikolai Dermendzhiev, Yavor Ivanov) The exploration of the stratigraphy from the 5th century BC to the 20th century, which was documented during the excavations in 1999 – 2000, continued in the central part of the ancient town. Sherds from the Hellenistic period, including from Megarian bowls, coins, pottery and jewelry from the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages were found in the embankment originating from strata destroyed during illicit construction works. A sondage was carried out on the highest place in the town, on the site where the remains of the metropolitan church were preserved until the 1970s. The omphalos of the holy spring of the church was discovered, built of uneven stones. The finds included sherds of the Ottoman period, the Middle Ages and the Late Antiquity, and a bronze censer of the 14th century. The exploration of the eastern wall of the ancient fortress, situated in the yard of the Greek School, continued. The previously excavated part of the wall with an adjacent fortification tower was cleaned and the tracing of the wall continued. The western fortification tower was discovered. It was with a square layout, 4.20 m by 4.20 m in size, with walls 1.80 m wide, built of roughly cut stones bonded with mortar. The fortification wall was probably built during the reign of Anastasius I Dicorus at the end of the 5th – beginning of the 6th century AD.