THE EARLY MEDIAEVAL EPISCOPATE IN ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) The foundation of the northern wall of the basilica was explored. It is 0.98 – 1.05 m in width and down to 2 – 2.10 m in depth. Part of a room, additionally constructed to the northeast of the basilica, was explored. The northern half of the eastern wall of the basilica, identical to the northern wall, was discovered. Early Mediaeval sherds, bone awls, whetstones, an iron arrowhead, bronze belt appliqués and a point, a lead seal of the Bulgarian King Petar I ((927 – 969), a presumable iron stylus and three bronze clasps for books were found within the layer of debris. Sondages in the apse of the basilica were carried out. Bases, frames, part of an altar screen, parts of a small decorative column and cornice were found. An earlier floor of mortar was discovered at 1.70 m below the floor level of the basilica. The inner walls of the apse were built of ashlars whose joints are plastered with mortar. The basilica was re-built on the place of an earlier basilica. A small marble column of an altar screen, parts of a plate of an altar screen and a frame originate from the earlier basilica. A fragment of a basin for holy water remains without specified chronology. Walls of a Late Antique building and a water-conduit were discovered inside the northern nave of the basilica and to the northeast of it, under the level of the earlier basilica. They lie within a stratum containing sherds, a ceramic lamp, a spindle whorl, fragments of glass vessels, a fragment of a glass bracelet, an iron finger-ring-key, two bronze fibulae, and 114 bronze coins from Licinius I, Licinius II, Constantine I and his sons through Theodosius II, which date the building. The earlier basilica situated above the Late Antique building could be dated in the second half of the 5th century AD, at earliest.

EXPLORATIONS IN ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) The explorations in the area between the eastern wall of the basilica and the eastern fortification wall continued. A stratum containing Late Antique and Early Mediaeval pottery was explored at 1.30 – 1.70 m in depth. Three Early Mediaeval sunken-floored houses (Nos. 11, 12 and 13) were discovered. The finds include sherds, animal bones, a lead weight, three iron arrowheads, a whetstone, a small bone spoon, a bone awl, an iron fire striker, a bronze finger-ring, an iron buckle, a bronze belt-chape, a bronze belt-appliqué, a silver cross (Encolpion), a copper pendant, a bronze bead and a glass bead. A stratum with debris was explored at 1.70 – 2.50 m in depth. It contained fragmentary burned mud-bricks, uneven stones, fragmentary tegulae and imbrices, iron nails, sherds and c. 90 bronze coins of the 4th – first half of the 5th centuries AD that originated from the earlier house situated in the lower level. A floor level of mortar was discovered at 2.50 m in depth and under the stratum of debris. Debris of a Late Antique house with walls 50 cm in width are situated under the floor level of mortar. The finds include sherds, a bronze fibula of the 4th – first half of the 5th century AD, and 22 bronze coins minted by Constantine I, Constantius II, Valens, Theodosius I, Arcadius and Theodosius II. The building was demolished in the middle of the 5th century AD. The first, early level of the basilica is situated over the debris from the building. There was an adjacent ramshackle room to the east from the apse of the early basilica. The finds include fragmentary marble tiles and columns from the altar fence of the basilica, two elements of a polycandelarium and fragmentary glass church-lamps. The spolia include two fragmentary altars, a fragmentary inscription from the Early Roman period containing the name of the town: Abritus, and a fragment from a votive relief of Zeus and Hera.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) The explorations were concentrated to the east and southeast of the Early Christian basilica. The southern and the eastern walls of the ambulatorium of the basilica were discovered. The walls are built of limestone bonded with mortar and are 75 cm wide. The inner side of the walls was plastered with mortar, which had paintings with geometric and floral decoration (red-brown painting on a white background). An entrance was discovered in the southern part of the eastern wall. The finds from that stratum, down to 1.70 m in depth, are from the Early Middle Ages. The foundations of a room with trapezoidal layout, oriented east – west, were discovered under the early mediaeval stratum. The walls are 50 cm wide and are built of stone slabs bonded with mortar. The northern wall of the room served as the foundation of the southern wall of the ambulatorium, while the eastern wall of the room was abutted by the eastern fortification wall of late antique Abritus. The finds from the room include sherds from the 4th – 5th centuries AD and 80 bronze coins from the 4th – first half of the 5th centuries AD. A ramshackle room was probably situated close to the west of the room. The finds include coins and pottery of the 4th – 5th centuries AD. The building was demolished at the end of the 5th century AD. A sondage was carried out along the inner side of the eastern fortification wall. Two walls of a late antique building were discovered. The walls were cut during the construction of the eastern fortification wall of Abritus. An apse, belonging to an earlier basilica or a tower of earlier fortification wall, was discovered. After the buildings were demolished at the end of the 5th century AD, the terrain was covered with debris. The first basilica and the eastern fortification wall were then built there.

EXPLORATIONS IN ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) A sondage was carried out in the ‘Early Christian Complex’ Sector. It was situated to the north of tower No. 13, in front of the eastern fortification wall. Debris and remains from all occupation periods of the castellum were found down to 60cm in depth. A layer of debris from the eastern fortification wall was explored from 0.60 to 1 m in depth. A layer, containing burned mud bricks, pottery of the 4th – 5th centuries AD and 28 bronze coins minted from the middle of the 4th to the second half of the 5th century AD, was explored from 1 to 1.60 m in depth. The eastern fortification wall was built after the end of the 5th century AD. Part of a Late Antique house, situated under the floor of the eastern room of the basilica, was explored inside the castellum. Two parallel walls of the house were documented. The walls, 50 – 53 cm wide, were built of uneven stones bonded with mortar, and were situated at 2.80 m from each other. A drain built of bricks was explored between both walls. The floor of the house was paved with bricks. Sherds of the 4th – 5th centuries AD and 80 bronze coins of the 4th – end of the 5th centuries AD were found in the debris of the house. The coins date the destruction of the house to the end of the 5th century AD. An ashlar with incised cross was incorporated in the foundations of the apse of the basilica. The bases of the columns, arranged in a line oriented east – west, as a continuation of the southern wall of the basilica, were discovered. The bases were reused Roman altars with Latin inscriptions. According to one inscription, three persons, veterans and Roman citizens who settled in ‘Abritto lustro’, made a dedication to a deity.

ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) The explorations of the Early Christian Large and Small Basilicas and the remains of Late Antique house situated below them, located in the eastern part of Abritus, continued. The Small Basilica was with three naves, one apse and tripartite narthex and was 15 m by 15 m in size. It was explored in 1992 – 1993. An Early Mediaeval bronze clasp of a book was found close to the apse. The bipartite room located to the south of the basilica was thoroughly explored and it probably was a baptistery. During the explorations of the remains of Late Antique house situated under the foundations of the basilica, a limestone base of a column and a small marble votive relief of the Thracian Horseman were discovered, reused as spolia in the structure. The northwestern corner of the atrium and the western half of the northern nave were explored in the Large Basilica. The walls were built of stones bonded with mortar and were 0.94 – 1 m wide. An earlier wall of the 4th – 5th centuries AD was discovered and the finds included sherds, iron nails, fragments from window glass, a follis of Licinius I minted in AD 321 – 324, a follis of Constantius II as a Caesar minted in AD 336 – 337 and a coin AE4 minted in the period AD 375 – 498. The floor of the earlier basilica was documented at 1.30 m in depth below the floor level of the Big Basilica. An Early Mediaeval iron hoe was found close to the southern wall of the Large Basilica.

ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) A sunken-floored house of the middle of the 10th century was discovered along the southern wall of the Large Basilica and its Diaconicon. A room was explored to the southwest of the Large Basilica, built in rubble masonry and partly situated under the walls of the basilica. The finds dated to AD 350 – 450 and included 155 bronze coins minted from Constantius II to Theodosius II and Valentinian III. A second sunken-floored house of the middle of the 10th century was discovered in the eastern part of the sector. The southwestern corner of a room built in mortared rubble was explored under the sunken-floored house. It was partly overlain by the southern wall of the Diaconicon of the Large Basilica. The pottery from the room dated to the second half of the 4th century AD. Trampled rubble from the construction of the Large Basilica was discovered along its southern wall, containing fragmentary bricks and architectural details and sherds of the second half of the 5th century AD. The apse of a basilica was discovered close to the inner side of the eastern fortification wall. Part of it was cut by the fortification wall. A lid from a reliquary and two folles of Constantine the Great minted in AD 313 – 314 and AD 330 – 335 were found to the north of the apse.