EXPLORATIONS IN THE NECROPOLIS OF APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Dimitar Nedev, Antoine Hermary) Ninety-two graves coming from the middle of the 5th to the 3rd centuries BC were discovered. Three of the burials had cremation performed outside the graves. One re-burial was registered: the bones and the grave goods were collected in an urn. Most common were the pit-graves with inhumation burials. Remains of wooden coffins were registered in 14 graves. There were two inhumation burials in dolia. Tiles were used for construction of five graves. One grave built of broken stones and two cist graves were discovered in the southern part of the necropolis. A part of peribolos, 3.70 m in length, was discovered there. A part of terracotta water-conduit, 11.10 m in length, was uncovered nearby. Two graves from the third quarter of the 5th century BC were partly destroyed during the construction of the water-conduit. Another part of water-conduit, 13 m in length, was found in the central excavation. Seven graves from the 4th century BC were situated above the water-conduit. A part of peribolos was discovered nearby. Most typical among the grave goods were the fragrance vessels: Attic and local lekythoi, askoi, alabastra and unguentaria. Amphorae (mainly from Heraklea Pontica and Thasos), jugs, oinochoai, dishes, lamps, etc. were also common. Terracotta figurines showing various mythological personages were found. The metal finds include fibulae, strigils, mirrors, rings, earrings, coins, boucrania, axe, sword, etc. Fifteen funerary stelae, giving names of inhabitants of Apollonia who died during the end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th centuries BC, were discovered.

EXPLORATIONS IN THE NECROPOLIS OF APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Dimitar Nedev, Krasimir Nikov, Martin Giuzelev) A water-conduit of the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th century BC was uncovered, 64 m in length. The necropolis is located from the both sides of an ancient road, 6.50 – 7 m in width, and is separated in family parcels surrounded by walls. Two hundred and seventy-six graves from the mid 5th to the end of the 3rd centuries BC were discovered. Eight graves were cremation burials. The cremations in six graves were performed outside the funerary spaces and two cremations were performed inside the burial pits. The inhumations were predominantly in burial pits. Krepides were built above some graves. Remains of wooden coffins were found. Two inhumation burials were inside dolia and three inhumations of small children were inside amphorae. Roofs of tiles, some with stamps (НРА, ΣТ) and graffiti, were discovered above five graves. There were cist graves, too. Four graves were built of ashlars connected with clamps and had floors of slabs. Their walls were painted in red. The deceased were placed on their back. Three newborn babies were placed in a Hocker position. The grave goods include lekythoi, alabastra, amphoriskoi, unguentaria, askoi, pyxides, lebetes, amphorae (from Chios, Thasos, Heraklea Pontica, etc.), a red-figure krater with Dionysiac scenes, oinochoai, kylikes, skyphoi, kantharoi, terracotta figurines (showing Athena, Herakles, Aphrodite, Eros, etc.), bronze fibulae, strigils, mirrors, pyxides, earrings, finger-rings, a gold bead and an earring, bronze and silver coins (minted by Apollonia Pontica, Athens, Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great), a Carneol Scarab, etc. Sixty-four ritual hearths were discovered. Twenty-one funerary stelae containing names of Ionic Greeks who died in the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC were found. One stela has an epitaph in hexameter.

EXPLORATIONS IN APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Dimitar Nedev, Martin Giuzelev) The water-conduit of terracotta pipes, 62 cm in length, 16 cm in diameter and connected with lead clamps, was explored at 48.85 m in length. It was used during the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC. One hundred and eighty three graves from the middle of the 5th to the end of the 3rd centuries BC were discovered. Six of them were cremations outside the burial space. The ash and the grave goods were placed in ceramic urns covered with dishes. The grave pits, often containing remains of wooden coffins, are predominant among the inhumation burials. Dolia were used for two inhumation burials. Tiles were used for the construction of 11 graves and 17 graves were built of stones. In most cases the deceased lie on their back and in 149 graves they are oriented to the east. Funerary stelae with the names of Ionian Greeks buried during the end of the 5th – beginning of the 4th centuries BC were found. The grave goods include alabastra, amphorisks, unguentaria, local and Attic lekythoi, black- and red-figure pyxides and lebetes, black-gloss and red-figure jugs, pelikai, a krater, oinochoai, kylikes, skyphoi and kantharoi, a ceramic phiale, terracotta lamps, loom weights, spindle whorls, terracotta figurines of a Satyr, actors and animals, needles, fibulae, strigils, mirrors, bracelets, earrings, a golden finger ring, a funerary wreath of gilded bronze leaves and terracotta fruits, bronze and silver coins predominantly minted in Apollonia and often used for Charon’s obols, knives, an arrowhead, a dagger, a sword, a small lead boukranion, bone astragaloi, amphorae of Herakleia Pontica, Chios, Thasos etc. Remains of a building of the 9th – 10th centuries AD were discovered. Nineteen graves of the 12th – first half of the 13th centuries were explored.

THE NECROPOLIS OF APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Martin Giuzelev, Dimitar Nedev) The water-conduit of terracotta pipes, which functioned during the end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th centuries BC, was further explored. The water-conduit run into a tunnel cut into the bedrock and a gallery, which was revealed for 57 m in length. It has three shafts and an entrance. During the first half of the 4th century BC the necropolis was organized in family plots walled with a peribolos. A monumental funerary monument, consisting of a sarcophagus with a chamber painted in red and two cist graves, dated to the mid 4th century BC, was discovered. Ritual hearths and 221 graves of the second half of the 5th – 3rd centuries BC were explored. Six cremation burials were performed outside the graves. The ashes and the grave goods were placed in a red-figure pelike, an amphora of the Cypriot type and ceramic urns. The burial pits prevail in the inhumation graves. Wooden coffins were placed in some of the burial pits. Three inhumation burials were performed in dolia. A newly born baby was buried in an amphora. Some tiles from the the grave constructions have stamps (ΛΑ, ТH, ΣΤ). There are graves constructed of stones or slabs. The walls, the floors and the roofs of three graves were constructed of ashlars held together with iron clamps. Some burial chambers were painted in red. The deceased lay on their back with hands stretched along the body. Burials in a Hocker position are rare. The deceased were predominantly oriented to the east. Some funerary stelae bear the names of the buried Ionian Greeks, e.g. ΕΚΑΤΑΙΟΣ. The finds from the necropolis include alabastra, amphoriskoi, unguentaria, lekythoi (some of them produced in the circle of the Apollonian painter), jugs, pelikai, oinochoai, ichthyai, lekanai, askoi, amphorae (predominantly of Herakleia Pontica and Thasos), a calyx-krater, dishes with graffiti containing maledictions, terracotta lamps, terracotta figurines, needles, fibulae, arrowheads, knifes, strigils, mirrors, finger-rings (one of them silver with inscription that reads ΚΟΙΛΑ), earrings, a funerary wreath, bronze coins (predominantly minted in Apollonia), lead boukrania, a diaulos, terracotta fish grills etc.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg) A quarry was discovered in the western part of the site. Limestone ashlars that were used in the necropolis were cut out there. After the exploitation of the quarry stopped, the area became part of the necropolis. Eleven graves of the 4th – beginning of the 3rd centuries BC were explored. One burial was a cremation and the ashes were placed in an urn, while the rest burials were inhumations. The graves were pits without covering or covered with stone slabs and ashlars, some of them surrounded with stones and ashlars. The deceased lay supine, either directly in the burial pits or in wooden coffins. Most deceased were buried with heads directed to the east, while one is directed to the south. The grave goods included two bronze pins, a bronze fibula, a bronze finger-ring, a glass bead, red-figure lekythoi, a red-figure pyxis, hydriai, a jug, a black-gloss amphoriskos, a kylix, a kantharos, a small dish, pots, a black-gloss lamp, terracotta figurines, two bronze mirrors, three strigils, a pair of iron scissors and knuckle bones. Piles of fragmentary pottery and amphorae, related to memorial rituals, were discovered between the graves and above them. Seven ritual hearths were explored. They contained pots, black-gloss ichthyai, terracotta grills for fish, red-figure lekanai and askoi, dishes, cups and a strigil. Six limestone and marble inscribed stelae with the names of the deceased were found. A wall built in rubble masonry and two deposits containing fragmentary pottery were discovered. They were related to a building and two kilns that were explored nearby. An anonymous Byzantine coin minted in 1060 – 1065 was found.

EXPLORATIONS IN APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov) Twenty-eight graves cut out into the limestone bedrock were explored. The burial pits were rectangular, 2 – 2.10 m long, 65 – 75 cm wide and down to 1 m deep. There were rectangular holes in the corners of six burial pits, probably to accommodate legs of funerary beds, and nine burial pits were covered with stone slabs. The funerary ritual was inhumation with head to the east or the northeast (the head of the deceased in Grave No. 25 was directed to the north and the head of the deceased in Grave No. 18 was directed to the west). The deceased were laid supine. The bottom of Grave No. 17 was covered with ash and embers, which covered the skeleton. The grave goods included lekythoi (found in 22 graves), alabastra (found in two graves), cups, dishes, jugs, oinochoai, a krater, amphorae, ceramic lamps, bronze strigils, mirrors, a bronze fibula and a silver one of the Thracian Type (found in Grave No. 22). Seven ritual hearths were explored, containing black-gloss and local dishes, ichthyai, pots, a lekane, terracotta fish grills and a lamp. The graves dated to 450 – 350 BC, judging from the red-figure and black-gloss vessels and the amphorae from Chios, Heraclea Pontica (including stamped amphorae from the 380s and the 370s BC), Thasos, Lesbos and amphorae of the Murighiol Type. Trenches of the 2nd – 4th centuries AD were documented that were related to agricultural activities, probably vineyards. Twelve more graves were explored. Grave No. 2 was a cremation and the ashes were placed in a ceramic urn. The other burials were inhumations in pits dug out into the clay bedrock. The deceased were adults, while a small child was buried in Grave No. 8. They were laid supine with heads to the east. The grave goods included lekythoi (found in six graves), an alabastron, a red-figure jug of 425 – 400 BC, black-gloss vessels, pots, a dish, an amphora, two bronze and two iron strigils, and a bronze fibula. The graves dated to the second half of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th centuries BC.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov, Teodora Bogdanova) An area of 0.1 ha situated in the periphery of the necropolis of Apollonia was explored. An inhumation burial was discovered. The deceased was an adult who was laid in the burial pit with his head to the east. The grave goods included sherds from a lekythos and an amphora of 425 – 400 BC. A sector of a water-conduit was discovered, built inside a trench, 60 cm wide and 40 cm deep. The water-conduit consisted of terracotta pipes, 78 – 80 cm long and 16 cm in diameter. The joints between the pipes were plastered with tar and sealed with lead clamps. The total length revealed of the water-conduit was 26.10 m. It belonged to the water-conduit that crossed the necropolis of Apollonia from the northeast to the southwest. It functioned during the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th centuries BC.

EXPLORATIONS IN APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov, Teodora Bogdanova) Twelve graves of the end of the 5th – middle of the 4th centuries BC were discovered. Nine burial pits were dug out into the bedrock. One burial pit was covered with stone slabs and, on its floor, there were holes to accommodate the legs of a funerary kline or sarcophagus. Three graves were constructed with ashlars and their floors were paved with stone slabs. A limestone quarry with cut outs for taking ashlars was discovered close to the necropolis. The deceased were laid supine with their heads mostly to the east. Only one burial of a child is without grave goods. The grave goods in the rest burials included lekythoi, an alabastron, an amphoriskos, jugs, cups, a bronze mirror, bronze tweezers and a bronze finger-ring. Grave No. 12 was a cenotaph. The burials were grouped in family sectors located from both sides of Via sacra which was 9 m wide. A funerary stele with partly preserved inscription in two lines: ...ΙΚΑΓΟΡΗΣ ...ΓΡΑΟΣΟ was reused in the enclosure of ritual hearth No. 1. Four family sectors in the necropolis were documented from the northeastern side of Via sacra and they had periboloi towards the road constructed of small ashlars and/or roughly-cut stones. Five ritual hearths were explored from the outer sides of the periboloi. The finds included dishes, terracotta fish grills, ichthyai, lekanai, askoi and animal bones. A midden pit was discovered, containing pottery, charcoal, shells, a terracotta figurine, bronze coins of Apollonia, arrowheads, fish hooks, nails, a loom weight and iron reaping hooks. To the southwest of Via sacra 281 bronze coins were found, most of them minted in Apollonia in the 4th century BC and some coins of Histria, Prokonesos and Antigonus II Gonatas. A hoard of 17 bronze coins (10 of them minted in Apollonia in the 4th century BC) was discovered from the outer side of Construction No. 3. A second hoard of 225 coins was discovered close to the northwestern side of Construction No. 3: 153 dichalkoi and 72 coins with large nominal value, some of them with the names of magistrates: EYКYΔHΣ, MYΣ, АКОYΣIΛ and IΩГYPOΣ.

APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov) An area of c. 500 sq. m in the necropolis was explored. A platform of roughly-cut stones was documented and Late Neolithic sherds were found. A large quantity of decorated Thracian sherds from pots, dishes, cups, jugs and amphora-like vessels of the First Phase of the Early Iron Age (11th – 9th centuries BC), spindle whorls and fragmentary burned wattle-and-daub from destroyed houses were found. Apparently these were remains from a Thracian settlement. Remains from a large number of destroyed burials were documented as well: single human bones and skulls, two amphorae with bones from small children, black-figure and red-figure lekythoi, black-gloss cups and small bowls, askoi, small Corinthian vessels and terracotta figurines dated from the end of the 6th to the first decades of the 4th centuries BC. A pit was discovered, 5 m by 3.50 m in size and c. 1 m deep, containing sherds, including from amphorae of 300 – 250 BC. Two skeletons of adults and two skeletons of children were discovered, designated as Graves Nos. 4 – 7. The dead were thrown in the pit without any order and laid in unusual positions, while three of the skeletons were piled each above other. Apparently these were not regular burials. Probably these were the bodies of individuals who were killed or executed. Sherds from Roman and Late Antique amphorae were found on the site as well.

APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov) About 50 burials of the 20th century were excavated over an area of c. 450 sq. m. A pile of sherds was explored under them, 2 m by 7 m in size and up to 30 cm thick, containing mainly fragmentary amphorae from Thasos, Chios, Knidos, Rhodes etc. dated to the second half of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd centuries BC, including sherds from local and black-gloss pottery. Four inhumation burials (Nos. 11 – 14) were explored. A child was buried in Grave No. 13. The grave goods included a black-figure lekythos, a small bowl, two terracotta figurines, two pyxides, two bronze arrowheads, knucklebones and 46 teeth from sheep and/or goats. The burial dated to 480 – 470 BC. Another child was buried in Grave No. 14 dated to the same period. Pits were documented, containing a small number of asynchronous Thracian sherds of the Early Iron Age and sherds from Hellenistic amphorae. Objects probably originating from destroyed burials in the necropolis and Thracian sherds of the Early Iron Age were found in the excavated area. The graves of the Classical and Hellenistic periods were dug out into a stratum of the Early Iron Age. Another stratum was documented beneath, c. 20 cm thick and containing Late Neolithic sherds. Three platforms of roughly-cut stones and several burned patches of plaster, probably from houses, were discovered and Late Neolithic sherds, animal bones and flint flakes were found there.

APOLLONIA (Yavor Ivanov – iavor.ivanov@gmail.com, Dimitar Nedev) Archaeological structures were discovered during the construction of a drainage channel. Sherds, mostly from amphorae of the 5th – 4th centuries BC, were found. Four burials were explored in the necropolis of the 5th – 4th centuries BC. Grave No. 1 was with inhumation burial. The grave goods included an alabastron and a bronze strigil. The body was laid supine in Grave No. 2. A stone and a terracotta urn with cremated human bones were explored as well. Two terracotta pipes were discovered, one of them connected to a dolium of the 1st – 2nd century AD. Sherds from at least six vessels were found in the dolium. Probably, it was a cistern. A cremation burial of the 1st – 2nd century AD was explored. The burial pit was faced with stones and covered with a stone slab, which was a reused threshold of a monumental building. A bronze handle from an oinochoe showing a bust of Cybele or Hecate and a base of a column were found in the grave. Five inhumation burials of the 4th – 6th centuries AD were explored. Grave No. 1 was a cist containing one dead and re-buried bones from the skeleton of another dead. Grave No. 2 was a cist with a child’s burial. Early Byzantine inscriptions were documented on four of the ashlars. Two dead individuals were laid perpendicular in Grave No. 3, thus making a cross. Grave No. 6 was a cist containing six dead children.

APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg) Two burial pits of 450 – 400 BC were explored. The first grave was destroyed. Four holes were documented in the corners of the burial pit and they probably accommodated the legs of a wooden funerary kline. The deceased in the second grave was adult. A small black-gloss bowl and a carbonized fig were found in the grave. Part of the water-conduit of the end of the 5th century BC, constructed of terracotta pipes held together with lead clamps, was discovered. Seven rows of pits related to agriculture of the Roman period were documented as well. The finds from the excavations included sherds from amphorae, local pottery and a black-gloss cup, a fragment from a black-gloss terracotta lamp, a glass alabastron, a terracotta censer showing crosses with crucified Jesus Christ in relief.

APOLLONIA (Margarit Damyanov – mmdamyanov@gmail.com, Krastina Panaiotova) A layer with material of the Hellenistic period was documented. Graves of the Late Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods were situated under the layer. The pile of fragmentary amphorae of the late 4th – first half of the 3rd centuries BC was entirely explored in Trenches E0 – E02. It was a midden. Fragmentary black-gloss kantharoi, unguentaria and other vessels of the first half of the 3rd century BC were found in the midden as well, in addition to earlier objects, some of them originating from destroyed graves: bronze fibulae, finger-rings, a bracelet, an iron xiphos of the 4th century BC and a fragment from tegula with a graffito that reads: ΑΡΠΑΛΟΣ | ΕΠΟΙΗΣΕΝ. Twelve graves (Nos. 15 – 26) were discovered in Trenches E0 – E03. Seven burials belonged to adults laid in burial pits. Five burials belonged to children: three were laid in burial pits, one was buried in the lower part of an amphora and one was covered with a rectangular funerary structure constructed of sherds from two amphorae. The heads of the dead were oriented to the east and only in Grave No. 23 the head of the dead was to the south. Six ceramic vessels and 11 terracotta figurines of 480 – 450 BC were discovered in Grave No. 15 which belonged to a child. Other finds probably originating from destroyed graves from the Classical period were discovered in the excavated area as well, including pottery and a marble funerary stele with inscription that reads: ΘΕΥΓΕΝΗΣ | ΘΕΜΙΣΤΑΓΟ | ΡΕΩ. A Thracian settlement existed on the site during the 11th – 9th century BC. Thracian sherds and a terracotta zoomorphic figurine were found. Fragmentary plaster and sherds of the Late Neolithic period were discovered at some places beneath the Thracian settlement and the Greek burials.

APOLLONIA (Yavor Ivanov – iavor.ivanov@gmail.com, Dimitar Nedev) Twenty-four graves of the 5th century BC were explored. The cemetery was situated on two levels: three urns with ashes were discovered from 80 cm to 1.10 m in depth and the rest of the burials were inhumations situated from 1.60 m to 2.10 m in depth. Greek amphorae and Thracian greyware were used for urns to accommodate the ashes. In a few cases, inhumation burials were discovered on the level of the urns. The grave goods included over 80 vessels: amphoriskoi, amphorae, lekythoi, kantharoi, kylikes, skyphoi, askoi, alabastra, including black-figure and red-figure, and Thracian pottery. Ancient Greeks and Thracians were buried in the cemetery. Part of a water-conduit of terracotta pipes, 3.90 m long, was discovered. The water-conduit dated to the beginning of the 5th century BC. A child was buried over the water-conduit in c. 450 BC. The grave-goods comprised six ceramic vessels, a bronze pin, a bear tooth used as an amulet, over 70 astragaloi, four terracotta figurines: a ram, two seating men and a boy.

APOLLONIA (Teodora Bogdanova – vorbog@gmail.com, Dimitar Nedev) A tomb, 4.80 m by 4.80/4.60 m in size, built of roughly-cut stones was explored. Its entrance was to the east and it was walled with roughly-cut stones. The floor was plastered with lime. There were surrounding walls around the tomb. Seven burials were explored: five of the Hellenistic period and two of the Roman period. Cist Grave No. 4 of the end of the 4th – beginning of the 3rd century BC was situated under the tomb. A child was buried in the grave and the grave goods included terracotta figurines, ceramic vessels, astragals, gold earrings and a necklace. Central Graves Nos. 7 and 8 of the first half of the 3rd century BC were two niches in the western wall of the tomb that were looted in the antiquity. Skeletal remains from a woman, 20 – 45 years old, and a man, 30 – 50 years old, and part of the grave goods (a glass alabastron, three unguentaria, a funerary wreath, an astragalos, six coins) were found in front of the niches. Grave No. 3 of a girl, 11 – 15 years old, containing a coin of the second half of the 3rd century BC, was explored over the southern surrounding wall of the tomb. A burial of a small child in an amphora of the 3rd century BC was documented in front of the eastern façade. Five ritual hearths were documented. Seven funerary stelae were discovered, one of them situated in front of the tomb and containing the names of the deceased: ʽΗγοῦς Ἐκαταίου Πάρμιος γυνή. (additionally written:) Πάρμις Δημητρίου – “Hegous (daughter) of Hekataios, wife of Parmis. (additionally written:) Parmis (son) of Demetrios.” The other stelae were reused in the structure of the tomb. During the Roman period the tomb was reused. Grave No. 2 of the first half of the 1st century AD was discovered in the tomb chamber. The deceased was a man, 20 – 40 years old. The grave goods included a glass phiale, a ceramic cup with relief decoration showing personages from the Dionysus’ thiasos, and a knife. A krepis was built around the tomb and Grave No. 1 of AD 25 – 50 was discovered on top of it. The deceased was a man, 20 – 40 years old. The grave goods included a glass cup, a red-gloss bowl, a knife, a coin and a gold wreath. Graves Nos. 1 and 2 were built of roof-tiles and covered with stones and both burials were cremations.

APOLLONIA (Teodora Bogdanova – vorbog@yahoo.com, Dimitar Nedev) The explorations were carried out to the east of the Early Hellenistic family tomb discovered in 2016. A stone quarry was discovered and a number of cut outs with regular shape were documented; the ashlars for the construction of the tomb were taken out from the quarry. Sherds of the end of the 4th – 3rd centuries BC were found. A natural break was discovered into the bedrock where Grave 4 in the tomb was cut out; a black-gloss kantharos was found inside the rock break. Single Late Antique sherds were also found on the site.

APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov) A pit, eight graves (burial pits dug into the bedrock) and a ritual hearth were excavated. The pit measured c. 2.70 m by 2.10 m and contained sherds from amphorae, black-gloss vessels, a lopas and jugs. The burials were inhumations, with bodies laid supine, oriented to the east. The bodies in three graves were laid in wooden coffins. Holes were discovered in the four corners of Grave No. 2, probably to accommodate the legs of a wooden funerary kline. The grave goods included an askos, a red-figure lekythos showing Athena, a black-gloss amphoriskos, alabastra, a cup and terracotta figurines. The burials and the ritual hearth dated to 425 – 400 BC. A patch was discovered, containing charcoal from oak timber, single bones and sherds from a jug, two black-gloss bolsals, a lekythos, an askos and three black-gloss small bowls. Other finds from the excavations included a lead bucranium, a bronze coin of Apollonia and a funerary stele with inscription that reads: ΠΡOKITH AΛKIMAXO. The name Προκίτη occurred for the first time in the Greek onomastics. The name might have actually been Προκρίτη with the letter _rho_ missing; again, it has not been attested so far, but its male form is Πρόκριτος, known from Miletos, the metropolis of Apollonia, and from other Milesian colonies. The patronymic name Ἀλκίμαχος is aristocratic and often occurred, including in Miletos. Two trenches from ancient agricultural activities were discovered, situated at c. 90 cm from each other, 60 cm wide and 2.30 m and 3 m long.

APOLLONIA (Krastina Panaiotova – kpanayotova@abv.bg, Margarit Damyanov) Occasional finds were discovered on the site: a silver tornese of the 12th century and a Late Mediaeval bronze finger-ring. Terraces into the volcanic bedrock were documented, situated along the slope and used as a stone quarry. Single burials were carried out on the terraces some time after the quarrying was completed. Five inhumation burials were discovered, dated from the mid 5th century BC to AD 200 – 250. The bodies were laid in pits dug into the bedrock. The heads of the bodies in the burials from the Classical and Hellenistic periods were oriented to the east. The grave goods in Grave No. 2 included two lekythoi of the mid 5th century BC, a bronze strigil and c. 131 knucklebones with different size, placed over the knees of the dead, probably in a small wooden box with an iron handle. Greek letters were incised on 14 knucklebones: Α, Β, Γ, Ε, Ι, К, Н (twice), Δ (three times) and ПНΘ. The grave goods in Grave No. 4 of the mid 4th century BC included a ceramic alabastron, a lekythos, a bronze strigil and 55 knucklebones, probably accommodated in a small wooden box with an iron handle. The burial pit of Grave No. 5 of 300 – 250 BC was fired and subsequently covered with six tegulae, one of them with a stamp that read: HPA, probably an abbreviation of the personal name Ηρακλείδης. The burial pit was covered with uneven stones and a small black-gloss dish, an oinochoe and sherds from amphorae were discovered among them. Grave No. 1 dated to AD 200 – 250. The body was laid supine with his head to the west. There was a bronze stamp finger-ring on the left hand of the dead and the grave goods included a jug, a cup and a terracotta lamp showing a ram in relief. The orientation of the body and the lamp decorated with one of the early Christian symbols allow us to suppose that the dead was a member of the early Christian community in Apollonia. The community was attested as early as the middle of the 2nd century AD; Aulus Poplius Iulius, the Bishop of Apollonia and Deultum, died as a martyr.