ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@yahoo.co.uk) Explorations of the eastern fortification wall of the Outer Town of Preslav were carried out. Part of the fortification wall, 11 m in length, and fortification tower No. 2, situated at 110 m from tower No. 1, were discovered in Sector North. Wooden posts were documented under the foundation of the wall. Their density is 20 – 25 items per sq. m and they are driven by 40 cm in depth. A kiln with a burning chamber and a furnace and two midden pits, containing bones, charcoal and sherds of the 10th – beginning of the 11th centuries, were discovered. A building, measuring 3.90 m by 3.30 m and later than the tower, was explored. The finds include an anonymous Byzantine follis of class A2, an iron razor, an arrowhead, nails, rhomboid marble segments of mosaics, eaves and an outfall. Part of the fortification wall, 6.60 m in length, was explored to the north of fortification tower No. 1 in Sector Fortification Construction. Up to four courses of the wall (a plinth and three courses upwards) with preserved height of 1.30 m were discovered. The fortification wall is 2.80 m wide at the level of the plinth and 1.95 m wide at the upper level. An ashlar with incised drawing of a donkey and pottery were found. Christian grave No. 4 was discovered in sondage No. 2. There were no grave goods. The embankment above the grave contained sherds of the 10th century. A pavement of stones was documented in Sector South. It is c. 4 m wide and 40 – 80 cm thick. The foundation of the fortification wall, 5.10 m wide, was discovered in sondage No. 9. The finds include an anonymous Byzantine follis of class A2 (minted by Emperor Basil II), an iron hook and pottery.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@yahoo.co.uk, Plamen Slavov) The explorations were concentrated in the northeastern sector of the outer fortification wall of Preslav. A section of the wall, 16 m long, was discovered in Sector Northeast. The wall was 2.75 – 3 m wide. The wooden posts under the foundations of the wall are over 1 m long, up to 10 cm in diameter and their density is up to 23 items per sq. m. Animal bones, charcoal and pottery of the end of the 9th – 10th centuries were found. Christian grave No. 5 was discovered in trench A1. The grave is situated within the mortar level and measures 1.30 m by 0.55 m and is 60 cm deep. A child, 6 – 7 years old, was buried in the grave. Sections of the fortification wall and drains were discovered in Sondages Nos. 11, 12 and 13. The finds from the archaeological excavations include two anonymous Byzantine folles, a copper pendant, two iron wedges, a small knife, an arrowhead, a bone awl and a millstone.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) Part of the northern fortification wall of the Outer Town of Preslav was explored. Only its foundation, 2.70 m wide, was preserved. Bulgarian pottery of the 9th – 10th centuries was found. The northeastern corner of the fortification wall was documented. Its foundation was constructed of subsequent layers of pebbles and trampled clay and was 2.20 m wide and up to 80 cm deep. Two postholes of wooden posts, 35 cm in diameter, two adjacent foundation trenches and a mortar layer were discovered close to the fortification wall. An iron horseshoe was found. Sherds of the 9th – 10th centuries, bones and charcoal were found in sondage 19. A semi-dug sunken-floored house with an oven, situated outside the fortress, was documented. The fortification wall and bastion No. 3 were discovered in sondage 20. Only the foundation of the fortification wall, 2.90 m wide, was preserved and the bastion was 8 m long and 3 – 3.10 m wide. The foundation was constructed of subsequent layers of pebbles and trampled clay with driven round or square wooden posts, c. 10 cm in cross-section, with a density of 25 – 30 posts per sq. m. Four ashlars of the wall of the bastion were preserved. A midden pit, containing sherds and an iron axe, was discovered. Bastion No. 3 is situated at 120 m from the northeastern corner of the fortification wall of the Outer Town.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) There were towers along the eastern fortification wall of the Outer Town of Preslav, situated at c. 120 m from each other. Three towers, 8 m long and 3.25 m wide, were explored along the eastern fortification wall so far and one tower, 6 m long and 3.25 m wide, was explored along the northern fortification wall. Holes from wooden posts, similar to those discovered under Tower No. 2 and other sectors of the wall, were documented at the northeastern corner of the fortification wall. The corner was probably fortified with a circular tower, c. 5 m in diameter. The northern fortification wall close to the corner was up to 3.50 m wide and the eastern fortification wall was not less than 2.50 m wide. There was a timber building with floor plastered with mortar, 12.30 m by 7 m in size, situated in front of the northeastern corner of the fortification wall. The building dated to the end of the 9th – 10th century and was related to the construction of the fortress. Sherds of the 9th – 10th centuries and an iron arrowhead were found in Sondage 20 at Tower No. 3. Sondage 21, situated at 120 m from the northeastern corner, was carried out along the northern fortification wall. There was no evidence of a tower. A drain for collecting the rain water, up to 60 cm wide and up to 40 cm deep, was documented in front of the wall. Sondage 22, situated at 60 m from the northeastern corner, was carried out along the northern fortification wall. Sherds from the 10th century were found. The fortification wall, 3.10 m wide, was documented and wooden posts driven under its foundation were explored.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) The building situated to the east of the northeastern corner of the fortification wall, was 12 m by 4.50 m in size and was constructed of timber material with a floor of mortar. Six postholes, 30 cm in diameter, which supported the structure, were documented. Horizontal wooden boards, 8 cm thick and 10 – 12 cm wide, were documented. The boards were arranged over a layer of clay and the mortar floor was plastered over them. The building probably served as a dwelling for the masons who constructed the fortress. It was destroyed by a fire. The finds from the building included iron and copper plates, a fragment from a horseshoe and a sherd from a small pot or a cup. Part of the eastern fortification wall of the Outer Town of Preslav was explored in Sector Northeast and a pavement was discovered, which testified to the probable existence of a postern. Sondages were carried out along the northern fortification wall of the Outer Town of Preslav. The fortification wall was not preserved, but the mortar plaster over its foundation was documented. The foundation of the wall was 70 cm deep. Proto-Bulgarian sherds were found. A fragment of a lead cross was found in Sondage No. 24. A section of the fortification wall, 1.50 m long, was discovered in Sondage No. 13 situated at 60 m from the northeastern corner tower. The trench for the construction of the fortification wall was dug out into an occupation layer of the 9th century AD.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) Three fortification towers were documented so far, situated at 120 m from each other along the eastern fortification wall. The northeastern corner of the outer fortification was discovered as well. In 2011, a sector of the eastern fortification wall was discovered in Sondage No. 25 between Towers Nos. 1 and 2, at 60 m to the north of Tower No. 1. Ashlars from the plinth of the wall were found, 50 – 65 cm by 35 – 50 cm in size and 30 cm in height. Sherds from proto-Bulgarian pottery of the 9th – 10th centuries were found. A horseshoe and sherds of the 11th – 12th centuries were found in Sondage No. 26 at 115 m to the north of Tower No. 2. The foundation of the fortification wall was documented, 3.25 – 3.30 m wide. Ashlars from crenels fallen from the fortification wall were discovered.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) Three towers, 8 m by 3.25 m in size and located at 120 m from each other, and the northeastern corner tower have been discovered along the eastern fortification wall of the Outer Town so far. Sondages were carried out at 120 m to the north from Tower No. 2. A pavement of limestone rubble was discovered and sherds of the 13th century were found. Two courses of a fortification structure built of ashlars, probably a tower, were discovered under the pavement. There was a crux simplex incised on one ashlar before it was incorporated into the fortification structure. Sherds of the 13th century were found.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) The exploration of the side wall of a fortification gate continued. It was situated at 120 m to the north of Fortification Tower 2 on the eastern fortification wall. The side wall of the gate was perpendicular to the fortification wall. The finds included sherds, glass slag, three fragments from cornices with torus, nails, small nails for horseshoes, an iron cross with insertion for a handle, and an anonymous Byzantine follis of the Class B (AD 1030/1035 – 1042) overstruck on another anonymous Byzantine follis of the Class A2. The side wall of the gate was 9 m long and 3.10 m wide. The first two courses were built of ashlars and there was an emplectum with mortar from the third course upwards. The foundations were 1 m deep with wooden posts driven into the ground under the structure. The side wall of the gate extended at 1.50 m in front of the fortification wall, which was 3 m wide, and at 4.50 m behind the fortification wall. During the second half of the 13th century the terrain in front of the fortification gate was drained from the river running there and a road paved with limestone rubble and flat boulders, 2.90 m wide, was constructed. A coin of AD 1225 – 1250 was found under the pavement and it was _terminus post quem_ for the construction of the road.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) The explorations of the gate on the Eastern Fortification Wall continued. It was situated at 120 m to the north of Tower No. 2. The gate was 10 m wide. The southern side of the gate passage was explored. The passage was 3.10 m wide and 8.40 m long. The foundation of its southern side was 3.40 m wide with wooden posts driven into the ground beneath the mortar plaster under the construction. A Bulgarian copper imitative scyphate minted in Tarnovo in 1207 – 1218 was found. Three kilns for producing lime were documented. Proto-Bulgarian sherds of the 10th – beginning of the 11th century were found under one of the kilns. Three ashlars were discovered and a Bulgarian copper imitative coin minted in Tarnovo in 1200 – 1204 was found. A pavement of stones and rubble of the middle of the 13th century was explored.

PRESLAV (Georgi Maistorski – gmaistorski@gmail.com, Plamen Slavov) The explorations of the gate on the Eastern Fortification Wall of the Outer Town continued. It was situated in the middle of the fortification wall, at 120 m to the north of Tower No. 2 and at 360 m to the south of the northeastern corner tower. The passage of the gate was paved with boulders and traces from cart track, 1.20 m wide, were documented. A small stream run diagonally through the passage of the gate, bridged with timber beams. A place for stirring mortar was discovered. The gate was 3.10 m wide with a passage 8.40 m long. It was closed with a two-winged wooden door faced with iron plates.