EARLY FORTIFICATION IN THE INNER TOWN OF PLISKA (Pavel Georgiev – pavel_g@gbg.bg, Yanko Dimitrov) The southeastern corner of the fortification was uncovered. A foundation pit of a wooden post containing sherds of the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century was explored. The layout of the eastern and the northern fortification line was tracked. The northeastern corner of the fortification was discovered, and the northwestern corner and the gates on the eastern wall were located. The fortification has a trapezoidal layout. Its area is more than 20 ha and the perimeter is c. 2000 m. The foundation of the fortification stockade consists of two ditches dug at c. 2.50 m in depth below the level of the 9th century. A foundation of stones and clay was discovered in the outer halves of the ditches and remains of palisades were found in their inner halves. The filling of the ditches and the nearby pits contains sherds of the 8th – first half of the 9th centuries. Several ramshackle stone buildings from the period before the middle of the 11th century and ten semi-sunken floored dwellings of the second half of the 10th – beginning of the 11th centuries were discovered in the northeastern part of the Inner Town. A sunken-floored dwelling with a stone stove and a vaulted oven was excavated above the northeastern corner of the early fortification. The dwelling dates to the middle or the second half of the 10th century and most likely, it was reused for a smithy. A bronze point of a sword handle, a copper cross–enkolpion, a copper ring showing an eagle, an iron carder and a fragment of a sickle or a reaping-hook, etc. were found during the excavations.