ST. SOPHIA BASILICA (Yunian Meshekov – meshekov@abv.bg) Two sectors to the north and to the south of St. Sophia Basilica were explored. Four barrel-vaulted tombs were discovered in the northern sector, all of them known from the explorations carried out throughout the 20th century. The tombs dated to the 4th – 5th centuries AD. A grave covered with tegulae of the 2nd – 3rd century AD was found beneath the eastern wall of Tomb XXVIII discovered in 1910. A Mediaeval grave was documented in the vault of Tomb 1 discovered in 1962. In the southern sector, the southern wall of the earlier church of AD 400 – 450 was documented close to the foundation of the southern wall of St. Sophia Basilica. Part of the vault of a tomb of the 5th century AD was discovered. Two other identical barrel-vaulted tombs of 4th – 5th centuries AD have been documented to the south of the basilica during the previous excavations: Tomb LXIII discovered in 1920 and Tomb 32 discovered in 1980. Five graves built of bricks were explored. The first one measured 2.50 m by 1.60 m and was oriented east – west. The second grave measured 80 cm by 60 cm, oriented southwest – northeast, and a newborn baby was buried there. The third grave also belonged to a child and an unguentarium of the end of the 2nd – beginning of the 3rd century AD was found there. The fourth grave measured 2.60 m by 1.70 m and was 1 m deep. Its floor was paved with bricks and an adult was probably buried there. Two of the bricks in its structure had a Chi Rho christogram, thus indicating that the grave dated after the beginning of the 4th century AD. The fifth grave measured 2.70 m by 1.30 m. Three graves with inhumation burials, oriented northwest – southeast, covered with tegulae and dated the 2nd – 3rd centuries AD, were explored. The bodies were laid with heads to the northwest. Grave goods were discovered in one of the burials: a small votive bronze stick with an image of a temple, a small stone plate and an iron needle. A cist grave built of re-used ashlars was discovered. It measured 3 m by 2.30 m, 30 cm in depth, and dated to the 4th century AD.