ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF CHERNOMORETS (Petar Leshtakov – junior_1_bg@yahoo.com, Miroslav Klasnakov) The earliest materials dated to the Late Neolithic period (Karanovo III – IV). The occupation layer was 30 – 40 cm thick. More than 40 ritual pits, mostly over 1 m in depth, were documented. They contained ash, charcoal, burned debris, pottery, stone and flint and bone tools, anthropomorphic terracotta figurines, jewelry, and animal bones. The occupation layer of the Early Chalcolithic period was 20 – 30 cm thick. Pits from the Early and Late Chalcolithic period, up to 1.50 m in depth, were explored. They contained pottery and objects. An Early Chalcolithic shaft (pit No. 50A), 1.30 m in diameter, was explored up to 5.40 m in depth. The shaft contained over 200 pieces of timber with traces from woodworking, pottery and animal bones (including horns from aurochs). Pieces of copper ore and slag, a terracotta melting pot and two copper awls were found in the Chalcolithic layer. Grave No. 4 was explored. The deceased was an adult, probably a woman, rested in the Hocker position, oriented north – south. Grave No. 5 was explored. The deceased was a child, 6 – 7 years old, rested in a Hocker position on its left side, oriented northeast – southwest. The grave goods included two ceramic vessels. Both graves dated to the 4th millennium BC. A bone from the deceased in grave No. 1, explored in 2008, was dated (AMS 14C) to the first half of the 4th millennium BC. A ritual pit of the 3rd phase of the Early Bronze Age, 50 cm in depth, was explored. It contained pottery, a terracotta spindle whorl, an antler tool, flint tools, animal bones and a skull of a dog. Two graves of the 19th century were discovered. Probably, the deceased were military from the British Army. Metal and bone buttons, galloons, bronze clasps and nails from a coffin were found. There were inscriptions in English on the back side of the metal buttons.