EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF SVALENIK (Deyan Dragoev – dragoev78@yahoo.com) Explorations in the southern and western part of the fortification continued. The first construction period dated from AD 325 – 350 to AD 375 – 400 and the fortification system was built in that time. Over 10 m from the southern fortification wall were documented in Trenches L/19 and M/16. The wall was built in opus incertum of roughly-cut ashlars bonded with mortar and was 1.35 – 1.40 m wide. A coin of Constantine II minted in AD 324 – 330 was found inside a piece of mortar from the wall, indicating that the fortification system was built in AD 325 – 350. The second construction period dated from the end of the 5th century AD to AD 575 – 600. Four rooms of a building, consisting of parallel rooms arranged in a line, were explored in Trenches L/15 and M/16. The finds included sherds from amphorae and pots of the 6th century AD. Two occupation periods were documented in one room, judging from the two floor levels. Traces from fire were documented over the lower floor level and pottery of the 6th century AD and a dekanummium of Justinian I minted in AD 561/562 were found, the latter one being terminus post quem for the fire. Sherds from pots and a follis of Phocas were found in the occupation layer over the upper floor level. The third construction period dated to AD 575 – 600. A room used as a workshop and built over the burned building of parallel rooms was documented in Trenches K/19 and L/19. The finds included bone objects, semi-prepared material for bone objects, an iron chisel, a follis of Justin II minted in AD 574/575 and a bronze fibula. A hoard of 15 bronze coins from the second half of the 4th and the first half of the 5th centuries AD was discovered among the debris of the southern fortification wall. The coin hoard was buried during the invasions of the Huns in the middle of the 5th century AD. The fortification existed until the beginning of the 7th century AD.