ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF BELI PLAST (Katya Melamed – katjamelamed@yahoo.com, Emilia Evtimova) The site was situated on a hill. A sanctuary was discovered, built of stones and rock pieces arranged in a circle, which accommodated two ritual hearths. Sherds from bowls and cups of the 4th century AD were found; the vessels were placed intact over the ancient terrain. Sherds from handmade coarse ware were also found. The lower part of a dolium was discovered outside the circle, covered with a stone lid. Three terracotta spindle whorls were found on its bottom. A bowl placed upside down was discovered nearby. The sanctuary was pagan, but functioned in the period when the Christianity was already the official religion in the Roman Empire. It indicated that in that time the pagan religion was still preserved among some isolated Thracian communities.