ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg) The settlement mound is 70 m by 90 m in diameter. An excavation, 25 m by 10 m in size, was dug in the eastern periphery of the mound and this was the reason for carrying on rescue excavations. A stratigraphic profile was done in the destroyed part of the mound. Seven occupation layers were specified (from top to bottom). Layer A1 is 12 – 62 cm in thickness. Debris over a burned plaster of floor level was discovered in layer A2. An anthropomorphic figurine, a bone spoon and two ceramic models (one of a house and another of a “chair”) were found in layer B1. Sticks, 0.5 cm in diameter, and wooden boards, 6 – 10 cm in width, were discovered in layer B2. Layer C contained burned clay plaster, charcoal, a ceramic vessel with carbonized grain, a clay plaster of a wall, a pit, 25 cm in diameter, plastered with clay and surrounded with a curb. Layer D contained a stratum of burned debris over a floor level covered with scattered grain, a foundation of a wall, 64 cm in width and preserved at 36 – 50 cm in height, with an adjacent posthole. Twenty-four postholes, 16 – 32 cm in diameter, were discovered at 6.82 – 7.53 m in depth, in layer E. Some of the postholes were arranged in lines and probably were related to the palisade of the earliest settlement. Parallel wooden boards were discovered, too. The prevailing pottery shapes are biconical and cylindrical-conical vessels, mostly decorated with incised lines with incisions or small triangles. The fineware is decorated with graphite, red and/or white paste, while the dolia are decorated with Kerbschnitt. The archaeological material dates to the Early Chalcolithic period (first half of the 5th millennium BC) and is typical of Polyanitsa III – IV Culture.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) An area of 69 sq. m, situated to the west and south of the sondage carried out in 2008, was explored. The upper stratum in trenches I7, J7 and J8, reached down to 0.60 – 1.05 m in depth. Debris, piles of fragments of burned clay wall plasters, floor levels, animal bones, pottery, horn tools and flint artifacts were discovered. A timber construction of parallel planks and transverse poles was explored over an area 3.30 m by 2.80 m in size and situated at 2.28 – 2.98 m in depth. A row of postholes was discovered. A timber construction, probably belonging to the palisade of one of the settlements, was documented. The flint assemblage of the Chalcolithic period included scrapers, retouched flakes, a combined tool (scraper with awl), fragments, etc. The traceological analysis allowed the functional identification of 13 tools (flakes from sickles, flakes for scraping leather, a scraper for scraping leather and cutting bones). It was found that flakes from sickles were reused for scraping leather. Such a reutilization was documented in other Chalcolithic flint assemblages, too.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova, Petar Zidarov) A geomagnetic survey of the settlement mound was carried out and rectangular zones were documented. The zones had areas of 25 – 50 sq. m and were arranged in four rows, each row consisting of six zones. They could be interpreted as the layouts of buildings. An anomaly, c. 10 m wide, was documented around the zones and it probably was a ditch that surrounded the settlement. Parallel anomalies, up to 2 m long, were documented to the north, probably graves. A layer of clay was discovered in trench J9 in the eastern periphery of the settlement mound and carbonized wooden planks were arranged on it. A line of postholes was discovered. Clay floor plaster was discovered in trench I8. The burned construction, which covered an area of 28 sq. m and was discovered in trenches J9, J9 and I8, belonged to the floor level of Stratum VI. A pile of stones was discovered above the construction and burned clay plaster from a floor of a house situated in Stratum VII was explored above the pile. An occupation level with wooden planks, not burned, was partly discovered in trench N11 in Stratum 2 in the northern periphery of the settlement mound. A timber floor was explored in Stratum 4 in trench M11. The finds from the excavations included pottery and 41 flint artifacts (retouched plates, scrapers, cutters, a combined tool, flakes and a core), including blades from sickles and tools for leather production and plants cutting. The archaeobotanical analysis found the presence of Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum, barley, vetch and oak timber, used for the construction of the houses.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) The explorations in the central part of the settlement mound continued. Postholes of a house were discovered in Stratum VII. A layer was explored below it, in Stratum VI, containing animal bones, a human mandible, sherds, 13 horn and eight flint tools, two stone chisels and a stone adze, fragments from terracotta models of buildings. Debris from a burned structure were discovered, containing three ceramic vessels. Strata VI and VII in the settlement mound could be synchronized to the first phase of Kodjadermen Culture. During the excavations, 64 flint artifacts were found: retouched plates, fragments, retouched splinters, combined tools, chisels and a scraper, which were used for leather production process, blades of sickles, cutting of wood, bones and meat. Traceological analysis of 23 items produced from animal bones and antlers, which originated from two buildings in Strata VII and VI, was carried out. The technological features of the production of bone and horn tools was typical of the Chalcolithic period. Bones from ox (Bos Taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), pigs (Sus sp.), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and deer (Capreolus capreolus) were found in the debris of the house discovered in Stratum VII. Fragments from antlers of red deer and deer were found on the floor of the house discovered in Stratum VI. According to the archaeobotanical analysis, the following species were identified: oak, millet, Triticum monococcum, Triticum dicoccum, Hordeum vulgare, chick-peas, lentils, Lathyrus, Galium apparine and Veronica sp.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) The excavations continued in Trenches J10-11 and K10-11 in the central part of the settlement mound. Two houses were discovered in Stratum VII. Debris of a burned house was explored over an area 6 m by 6.50 m in size. A clay platform was discovered in its northern part. Two postholes were explored in the central part of the house. Debris from supposed second floor was documented. Postholes, arranged in a line and accommodated in a trench, were explored to the north of the burned house. They probably belonged to the eastern wall of a second house. An earlier layer with traces from fire and debris, belonging to Stratum VI, was documented under both houses. Bones from red deer, boars, roe, sheep, ox and pigs were found in the burned house. The bones from ox and red deer prevailed. The finds from the excavations included flint scrapers, plates and fragments, a bracelet from Spondylus, sherds from ceramic vessels synchronous to the earliest stage of Kodzhadermen Culture.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) The explorations of the burned building in Stratum VII in the central part of the settlement mound continued. A plastered platform, 1.60 m by 2.60 m in size, was discovered in the northern half of the building. It adjoined the western and the northern walls and their plaster was painted with ochre. The debris from the building and the platform were situated over a burned trampled floor. Burned fragmentary plaster from the timber construction of the floor of the second storey that collapsed was discovered. The plastered timber floor was c. 30 cm thick. The interior wall between the northern and the southern rooms of the building was 36 cm wide, constructed in wattle-and-daub. Fragmentary plaster from walls, painted with red ochre and white decoration, was found. The flint assemblage from the excavations consisted of 27 artifacts, including 10 typological tools (retouched flakes, scrapers, an awl and a combined tool). The sherds that were found dated to the First Phase of Kodzhadermen Culture and originated from biconical vessels, vases, dishes and bowls. The decoration was painted with graphite. The animal bones from the excavations were from reed deer, deer, boars, aurochs, rabbits, ox, goats, sheep, dogs and pigs. The bones from the domesticated animals belonged mostly to young species and the ox prevailed, while the bones from the wild animals were mostly from adult species and the red deer prevailed.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) The southern part of burned Building No. 1, 12.80 m by 6.50 m in size, was explored. The house was situated in Layer 7 in the central part of the settlement mound. Fragmentary wattle-and-daub, some of them with imprints from wooden posts, was discovered. The interior consisted of a larger northern room and smaller central and southern rooms equal in size, a L-like corridor with an entrance and an anteroom located in the southwestern corner of the house. The occupants of the house probably had access to the second floor via a timber staircase located in the anteroom. The ground floor was covered with timber planks arranged over trampled clay. Two platforms were situated in the northern and the central rooms of the house, constructed of timber plastered with clay. A bottom of an oven was discovered in the central room. Two postholes, each one 25 cm in diameter, and nine smaller postholes in between were discovered, belonging to the southern wall of the house. Postholes of the eastern wall were documented as well. The western wall was 90 cm wide and the other walls were 50/70 cm wide. Two timber beams that supported the second floor were documented in the northern room. The outer faces of all walls in the building were colored with ochre and white paint. The finds comprise pottery of Phase I of Kodzhadermen Culture and flint artifacts (retouched flakes, flakes, scrapers, a cutter, a retouched splinter), some of them produced from flint of the Ravno Type and the Kriva Reka Type. Some flint artifacts were used for cutting and scraping leather and cutting plants, while others were blades from sickles.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Yavor Boyadziev, Maria Gurova) Building No. 1 was explored, situated in Layer VII and 16 m by 6 m in size. There was a line of postholes 25 – 30 cm in diameter along its eastern wall, situated over burned debris of an earlier building. There were two lines of postholes: the outer line of postholes 20 – 40 cm in diameter and the inner one with thin posts, along the northern and the western walls. There was a line of postholes 20 – 35 cm in diameter along the southern wall, built of clay mixed with straws. The wall was plastered at least 25 times and most of the plaster was painted with ochre decorated with lines and curves of white paint. The building consisted of three rooms divided by two walls. The plaster of the platform in Room 1 was partly dismantled. The plaster covered a clay plaque with imprints from closely arranged wooden beams. A second level of transverse wooden posts was documented beneath the beams. The platform was 30 cm high and was constructed over the floor of the ground floor, covered with carbonized wooden beams. Debris from the second floor was discovered over the floor. A platform, 3.60 m by 1.60 m in size and 40 cm high, was discovered in Room 2. The two inner walls dividing the rooms were 40 cm thick, constructed of wattle-and-daub, plastered more than 14 times and painted with red ochre and white paint. The finds included ceramic vessels: bowls, vases, pots and dishes (Kodzhadermen Culture, Phase I), belemnites, bone tools, flint artifacts (mostly produced from flint of the Ravno and the Kriva Reka Types): plates, a scraper, a cutter, a spearhead, flakes. The flint tools were used for treatment of leather and subsequently reused as blades of sickles.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF IVANOVO (Svetlana Venelinova – lihnida_sv@abv.bg, Maria Gurova) The excavations continued in Trenches I10 and J10 in the central part of the settlement mound. A stratigraphic profile was documented beneath Building No. 1 down to the burned debris of Building No. 2 in the VI occupation layer. The plasters of the clay platform in the central room of Building No. 1 were dismantled. The platform was 43 cm high and was constructed of wooden grille plastered with 10 – 11 horizontal clay layers. Imprints from three horizontal wooden beams were documented in the foundation of the platform; the beams were plastered with clay that was fired and were situated at 28 – 44 cm distance from each other. The bottom of the platform was situated at the level of the wooden planks that covered the floor; carbonized planks were preserved in the central room of the building. Two parallel postholes from a shelter were documented to the east of Building No. 1. Concentrations of carbonized einkorn, emmer, common wheat, barley and bitter vetch were discovered in Building No. 2. Sherds from dolia, two pestles and three querns were also found. Wooden planks up to 6 cm thick, which covered the floor, were documented. The bottom of an oven was explored as well. Postholes, 10 – 30 cm in diameter, of the western wall of Building No. 2 were documented. The distance between the eastern and the western wall of the building was 5.85 m. The pottery from Building No. 2 had the features of the Polyanitsa IV Culture and reflected the transition between the Middle and the Late Chalcolithic period. The finds from the excavations included terracotta anthropomorphic figurines, two terracotta models of buildings, stone pestles, stone smoothing tools, querns, bone and horn tools, 46 flint artifacts: flakes and scrapers. The traceological analysis identified 10 artifacts that were used, predominantly for processing leather.