ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF A THRACIAN TUMULAR NECROPOLIS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF LOVETS (Georgi Atanasov – museum_shumen@abv.bg) The archaeological excavations continued explorations that began in 1995 – 1996. The excavations were carried out in the tumular necropolis near the village and particularly, in Tumulus No. 1. Clandestine digs were registered within the embankments of all tumuli. A cist grave with two chambers, covered with large horizontal stone slabs and oriented north – south, was discovered in Tumulus No. 1. The grave goods were intact and included pottery, a bronze cup, two iron spearheads and an iron knife. The burial was an inhumation. The parallels in the grave goods and the features of the burial ritual allow us to date the grave to the second half of the 4th century BC. Sondages in the other parts of the tumular embankment showed that there were no secondary burials or additional ritual constructions.