ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN MESAMBRIA – MESEMVRIA (Anelia Bozhkova – aneliabozkova@yahoo.com, Petya Kiyashkina, Aneta Petrova, Todor Marvakov) An area of 3600 sq. m was explored and 234 graves were discovered (29 graves from the Classical period, 46 graves from the Hellenistic period, 7 ancient Greek graves and 152 Christian graves from the 7th – 12th centuries). A sector of the necropolis, which functioned during the second half of the 5th century BC, was located. The graves from the Classical period were probably situated along the road that led from the fortification gates of Mesambria towards its chora. The graves were burial pits, ridge-roofed graves covered with tiles of the Late Classical period and cist graves of the Late Hellenistic period. Many ancient Greek graves contained remains of wooden coffins or funerary beds. Many graves of the Classical period contained rich grave goods: bronze strigils, imported Greek black- and red-figure lekythoi, skyphoi, an oinochoe, pelikai, etc. Local imitations of widespread Greek pottery groups (Haimon Group, Saint-Valentin Class) were attested. Terracotta figurines and reliefs were found, including a relief produced in a workshop in Melos around the middle of the 5th century BC, showing Thetis riding a hippocampus and wearing the weapons of Achilles. The grave goods from the Hellenistic period include pottery (unguentaria, jugs, lagynoi, small bowls, kantharoi, etc.), iron strigils, gold jewelry (a pair of earrings, a fastener and a finger-ring) and a pan flute consisting of 17 small bronze tubes. The grave goods from the Christian burials include jewelry, buttons, belt buckles, etc.