EXPLORATIONS ON TRAPEZITSA HILL (Konstantin Totev – konstantin_totev@abv.bg, Evgeni Dermendzhiev, Plamen Karailiev) A sector from the western fortification wall, 61 m long, was explored. The fortification wall was 4 – 5 m wide, built of roughly-cut stones bonded with mortar and preserved up to 1.30 m in height. A fortification tower with irregular layout, 3 m by 7 m by 4.10 m by 7.10 m in size, was discovered. A second fortification tower with quadrilateral layout, 5.20 m by 5.10 m by 5.10 m by 4.10 m in size, was explored. The western fortification wall was constructed in the beginning of the 13th century and functioned until the end of the 14th century. A place for stirring the mortar that was used for the construction of the fortification wall was discovered. Building III was explored. It was two-storey and adjoined the inner face of the western fortification wall. Two rooms built in rubble masonry were excavated. Ash, charcoal, sherds, including from sgraffito pottery with royal monogram, and coins were found in the rooms. An oven constructed of roughly-cut stones bonded with mud was discovered in the northeastern corner of the western room. The building existed from the beginning of the 13th until the end of the 14th century and was abandoned afterwards, but it was not burned. A forge of the first half of the 13th century was explored close to the inner side of the western fortification wall and under the graves in the cemetery of Church No. 2. Ash, melting pots and iron slag were found. Seventy-six graves were explored in the cemetery of Church No. 2. Nails and carbonized pieces of timber boards from coffins were found in the graves. Thirteen burials belonged to children and grave goods were found in 39 graves: fragmentary roof-tiles and bricks with graffiti (cross with inscription), a small dish, a small pitcher, a terracotta spindle-whorl, copper buttons, earrings, an appliqué, a pendant, a belt buckle, a finger-ring, a small seal, a clasp, a small padlock, a small lead cross, an arrowhead and a bone appliqué. The cemetery dated to the 14th century. The southern surrounding wall of the cemetery was discovered, 1.20 m wide and built in rubble masonry.