ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF ZNAMENOSETS (Plamen Karailiev – umbo@abv.bg) The layout of part of a fortress with two circular towers in its corners was traced out. Tower No. 1, 8 m in diameter, was discovered in the northern corner of the fortress. Its wall is 1.40 m thick. Part of the fortification wall near the tower was explored. The wall is built of uneven stones bonded with mortar and is 2 m wide. The northeastern and the northwestern fortification walls make a right corner and tower No. 1 is situated in the corner. The excavated part of the northeastern wall is 18 m long and the excavated part of the northwestern wall is 75 m long. Circular tower No. 2, identical to tower No. 1, was discovered during tracing out the western fortification wall. Three rooms, arranged in a row and adjoining the inner side of the fortification wall, were explored. Their walls are 80 – 90 cm thick and are built of uneven stones bonded with mud and upper parts constructed of mud-bricks. The bottom of a domestic oven was discovered in room No. 1 and two hearths dug into the floor were discovered in room No. 2. Both rooms have identical size: 6 m by 8 m. A layer of debris, 40 cm thick, was discovered on the floors of both rooms. The layer contained fragmentary and burned mud-bricks, fragmentary building ceramics, spindle whorls, terracotta lamps, glass, belt appliqués, fibulae and coins. A hoard of 10 bronze coins was found in room No. 2. The total number of the discovered coins is 32: the earliest one was minted by Anastasius I (AD 491 – 518) and the latest one was minted by Justin II and Sophia (AD 565 – 578).