ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF CHERNODAB (Kalina Petkova – kalina.petkova@gmail.com) An inhumation grave constructed of tiles was discovered during the excavation works for the construction of Maritsa Highway. The grave has a ridge-roof of tiles and is oriented west – east. It is 1.80 m in length and 30 cm in height. The deceased was placed on three horizontal tegulae, each one with size 60 cm by 40 cm. The funerary ritual is inhumation with head oriented to the west and stretched legs. The hands were placed under the pelvis. No grave goods were found. The structural features of the grave date it to the 4th – 6th centuries AD. Part of an elbow joint of another individual, who probably was buried in a pit grave, was found. This finding allows us to suppose that a flat necropolis existed on the site during the Late Antiquity. The Roman Via Diagonalis passed nearby with a colonna miliaria erected during the reign of Severus Alexander and Julia Mamaea found in the area.