ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF OVCHARTSI (Plamen Karailiev – umbo@abv.bg, Reni Petrova) Houses Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were explored in Sector 2 to the east of House No. 1. Farm Buildings Nos. 7 and 8 were discovered between Houses Nos. 5 and 6. Houses Nos. 9 and 10 were partly explored. The buildings were semi-dug sunken-floored and their floors were of trampled clay. There were heating utilities in the houses and a stove constructed of roughly-cut stones bonded with mud was discovered in House No. 6. All buildings contained from one to four storage pits in their floors. Thirteen pits were documented outside the buildings. The pottery that was discovered included pots, jugs, pitchers, cups, dishes and lids. The pottery was decorated with goldish slip and sgraffito. The finds from the excavations included terracotta spindle whorls, weights for fishing nets, small iron knives, nails, clamps, arrowheads and glass bracelets. The osteological study identified 133 ox and 28 horses. The following animals were identified during all excavation seasons carried so far: 226 ox, 71 horses, 112 pigs, and 211 goats and sheep. Judging from the pottery and the tetrateron of John II Komnenos, the settlement dated to the 12th century.