ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN THE EASTERN NECROPOLIS OF ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg) During the 1930s, there were 14 tumuli in the necropolis of Abritus but nowadays only three are still visible. A funerary complex was discovered during rescue excavations. A barrel-vaulted tomb, oriented north – south and with an outer size of 5.60 m by 2.80 m, is situated in the eastern part of rectangular building, 6.10 m by 6.80 m in size, constructed of uneven stones bonded with mortar and mud. A limestone sarcophagus, oriented east – west and covered with a ridge-roofed slab with acroteria, is situated at the western outer wall of the tomb, at 44 cm from the southern façade and at the floor level. Part of a second sarcophagus, placed on two ashlars and oriented east – west, was discovered at 20 cm to the east from the first one, at the level of the tomb vaulting at 2.85 m in height and near the middle of the wall. A broken terracotta altar was discovered at 40 cm to the south of the southwestern corner of the southern façade and at the foundation level. Sherds of handmade pottery were found among the altar fragments. The funerary complex was simultaneously built: first, the tomb was built and the building surrounding it was constructed, while sarcophagus No. 2 was placed later. Presumably, sarcophagus No. 1 existed before the tomb construction and was reused. The tomb dates to the end of the 4th – first half of the 5th century AD.

THE SOUTHERN NECROPOLIS OF ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg, Georgi Dzanev) During the 1980s, nine tumuli were documented in the necropolis, but nowadays only one exists. There were flat graves situated to the east of the tumuli. The first explorations were carried out in 1893 and later – during the 1920s and the 1930s. During 1966 – 1972, some of the tumuli were explored and in 1969, 238 flat graves were excavated (10 were cremations and the rest were inhumations). In 2010, 19 graves of the second half of the 3rd – 4th centuries AD were discovered. The funerary constructions were burial pits (10 graves), a step-like burial pit (grave No. 9), burial pits surrounded with stones or roof-tiles (graves No. 13, 14 and 15), graves covered with roof-tiles (graves Nos. 1, 3 and 17), and a burial pit with walls constructed of bricks bonded with mortar (grave No. 2). The funerary ritual was inhumation. Most bodies were laid supine in wooden coffins, 17 with heads to the west, one with head to the south and one with head to the east. An adult woman was buried in grave No. 2. The grave goods included a jug, a necklace of four amber and 85 glass beads, a bronze bracelet, and a bone bracelet with gilded silver plating. A young woman was buried in grave No. 6. The grave goods included a gold pendant with encrusted quartz, two bronze bracelets, a glass vessel and a circular lead plate with a hole for hanging on the chest. A child was buried in grave No. 9. The grave goods included a bronze fibula, beads, a silver medallion and a copper clasp for a necklace. A man, c. 1.83 in height, was buried in grave No. 15. The grave goods included bronze belt buckle and belt point. A corner of a house was discovered and its foundations had destroyed several graves. Judging from the coins of Valentinian I, Valens, Arcadius and Theodosius II and the coins with AE4 nominal minted in AD 375 – 498, the building dated to the end of the 4th – 5th centuries AD.

ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg) Thirty-two inhumation burials, some of them overlapping, were explored in the southern necropolis of Abritus dated to the 3rd – 5th centuries AD. The graves were pits, a single-step pit (Grave No. 27), two-steps pits (Graves Nos. 35, 51, 52), pits surrounded with stones or roof-tiles (Graves Nos. 21, 42, 48, 49), graves covered with bricks and roof-tiles (Graves Nos. 23 and 45) and a pit covered with stones (Grave No. 46). The iron nails discovered in most graves indicated that the deceased were rested in wooden coffins. The predominant orientation of the deceased was with head to the west (22 burials), two deceased were oriented with their heads to the northwest, two deceased were oriented with their heads to the north, one with his head to the south and one to the east. The arms of the deceased were usually stretched along their bodies. Grave goods were discovered in 11 burials: in Grave No. 51 – a ceramic cup of the 2nd – 4th century AD, in Grave No. 52 – a glass cup of the 4th – 5th century AD, a gold pendant of the second half of the 3rd century AD, a bronze belt buckle of the 4th – 5th century AD, a silver belt appliqué, a spearhead and a hoard of seven bronze coins of AD 324 – 340, in Grave No. 23 – a bronze belt buckle of the 4th century AD. An iron belt buckle, and a belt buckle and a belt appliqué with Sarmatian origin of the 4th century AD originated from destroyed burials. Other grave goods included eight bronze and one glass bracelets of the 4th century AD, two earrings (a bronze and a silver one), a silver finger-ring, glass beads with Germanic origins of the 4th century AD, an iron finger-ring with a carneol intaglio showing a rooster of the 3rd century AD, and 21 coins (a siliqua of Valens in Grave No. 41, and coins outside the burial pits: a fourrée denarius of Seprimius Severus, two Roman colonial bronze coins of Marcianopolis of the end of the 2nd – first half of the 3rd century AD, coins of the 4th century AD, coins of AD 375 – 498, a coin of Justin I).

ABRITUS (Galena Radoslavova – galena_rz@abv.bg) The explorations in the southern necropolis continued. Fifteen inhumation burials were discovered over an area of 60 sq. m. The graves were rectangular pits, single-step pits and pits surrounded with stones and bricks. The deceased in eight graves were laid with heads to the west, the deceased in Grave No. 67 was with head to the northeast, the deceased in Grave No. 57 was with head to the north and the deceased in Grave No. 70 was with head to the south. There were ceramic vessels placed in seven graves. The grave goods in Grave No. 60 included a ceramic vessel and a bronze belt buckle of the second half of the 4th century AD. A bronze belt buckle of the second half of the 3rd century AD was found in Grave No. 66. During the explorations several coins were found: a Roman colonial bronze coin of Geta minted in Anchialos, a coin AE3 minted in AD 367 – 375 either by Valentinian I or Valens or Gratian, a coin AE4 minted in the period AD 375 – 498 and two coins AE4 of Theodosius II minted in AD 425 – 450.