EXCAVATIONS IN THE ROMAN CASTELLUM VARIANA (Nartsis Torbov – natorbov@mail.bg, Dobrin Antonov) The explorations were concentrated around a wall with two buttresses on its western side. Sondage No. 1 was situated from the eastern side of the wall; sondage No. 2 was situated to the south of No. 1. Five asses and one dupondius were found within a layer of burnt debris. The prominent foundation offset of the wall was discovered at 80 cm in depth. A funeral pyre containing a terracotta lamp, a pot and a nail was found in the northeastern part of sondage No. 1. A grave constructed of brick and covered with other bricks was discovered in the centre of the pyre, built under its level. A pitcher and a burnt as were found among the ashes in the eastern part of the grave, and another pitcher and a lamp – in its western part. The foundations of the wall lie at 3.50 m in depth, as registered in the southern part of sondage No. 1. A second funeral pyre was discovered in the northeastern corner of sondage No. 2 and a second grave built of bricks was excavated at 2.35 m in depth, its western half lying under the foundations of the wall. A fragment of terracotta lamp and nails were found within the grave. Both graves date to the end of the 2nd century AD. The wall with the buttresses was built in the first half of the 3rd century AD, before the inrushes of the Goths who destroyed the building, which presumably was a horreum. After the destruction during the 260s and 270s, the remains of the wall were restored. The function of the new building cannot be specified but it was set on fire in the beginning of the 280s, at latest.