CASTRA RUBRA (Boris Borisov – bdborisov@abv.bg, Julieta Giuleva) The northeastern corner fortification tower was built in opus mixtum and measured 7.94 m by 6.35 m. Its entrance was 1.57 m wide. A wall in rubble masonry was discovered in the northwestern corner of the tower. It belonged to the second construction period of the fortress and probably supported a timber staircase towards the upper floors. Two coins of Justin II minted in AD 571 – 572 were found under the wall in rubble masonry. House No. 5 was explored. It had an area of 13.35 sq. m and was situated to the west of House No. 3. The northern fortification wall served as the northern wall of the house. Its eastern, southern and western walls were 70 cm wide, with lower parts constructed of cut stones bonded with mud and upper parts built of sun-dried bricks. The entrance was 1.15 m wide, located on the southern wall. The finds included three fragmentary ceramic vessels and three coins: the first one of the first half of the 5th century AD, the second one of the second half of the 5th century AD and a coin of Anastasius I Dicorus minted in AD 512 – 518. House No. 6 was explored to the southwest of Tower No. 2. It had an area of 34.84 sq. m and was situated between Houses Nos. 2 and 4. The floor of the house was situated over a layer of debris from the Early Byzantine fortification wall and the Early Byzantine Houses Nos. 2 and 4. The finds included five fragmentary ceramic vessels and a quern. House No. 6 was synchronous to House No. 1 and dated to the beginning of the 9th century AD. In that time the fortress was burned during the military campaign of the Bulgarian Khan Krum (AD 803 – 814) in AD 813. After the Bulgarian conquest, a Bulgarian settlement was set up over the ruins of the fortress and the Bulgarian settlers most probably mingled with the local Byzantine people. The finds from the excavations included weapons, jewelry, 88 Early Byzantine coins and three lead seals, one of them dated to the end of the 8th – beginning of the 9th century AD and belonging to Ioannes who was “Hypatos and Hartularios of the Logothetes of the Genikos”.