EXPLORATIONS OF THE ‘RIMSKOTO KALE’ FORTRESS NEAR THE TOWN OF KOTEL (Metodi Daskalov – m.m.daskalov@mail.bg) The fortress occupies the top of a rocky hill and the fortification wall was built only on the easily accessible slopes. Parts of the fortification wall are preserved on several places, in addition to remains of a building and a cistern cut into the bedrock. The lowest stratum contained fragmentary lath-and-plaster, charcoals and sherds of the early phases of the Early Iron Age: 10th – 8th centuries BC. The next stratum contained sherds of the Early Byzantine period. The bottom of an oven is related to this stratum. According to stratigraphy and the coins discovered, the building of the fortress dates to the 6th century AD. The earliest coin discovered during the excavations was minted in 522–527 AD by Iustin I and the latest one was minted in 604–607 AD by Phocas. Part of a sunken floored building was registered. Its floor was covered with debris. Sherds of the First Bulgarian Kingdom, dated to the 10th century, were found within the debris. A bronze buckle discovered there supports this date. All earlier strata and structures were partly destroyed by an excavation related to the reconstruction of the fortification wall. The ceramic material is heavily fragmented and mixed, but sherds of the 11th – 12th centuries were found in the upper part of the excavation. This date corresponds to the copper shyphats minted in 1118–1202. During the excavations, some sherds and coins that indicate of inhabitation during the Hellenistic period (4th – 1st centuries BC) and the late antiquity (3rd – 5th centuries) were discovered, in addition to the strata and structures described above.