EXPLORATIONS OF ST. SPAS CHAPEL IN PERNIK (Vasilka Paunova – vasder@gmail.com) The ruins of the chapel lie up to c. 1.50 m in depth within an earthen embankment. The chapel was built in 1905 on a consecrated ground of Saint Spas. The building is oriented northeast – southwest and measures 5 m by 3 m with walls that are 40 cm in width. There is a niche in the eastern wall of the chapel, instead of an apse. The walls are preserved to 1.60 m in height and were built of broken stones and ashlars with re-used ancient bricks. The chapel lies on an earlier wall oriented north – south. The wall flanked an entrance of ancient building, which was bigger in size than the chapel. This was built of bricks bonded with mortar and is preserved up to eight courses in height. The foundation of the wall was constructed of limestone ashlars. The ancient wall is preserved up to 1.20 – 1.30 m in height. The width of the entrance was c. 1.20 m. Part of another ancient wall located outside from the southern wall of the chapel was explored. It is oriented east – west and most likely meets the wall with the entrance at right angle. A flooring level of mortar, 10 cm in thickness, which belonged to the ancient building, was discovered inside the chapel and at the level of the foundation of the brick wall. The floor was covered with layer of charcoal, ash, fragmentary mortar plasters and tiles. The uncovered destruction indicates that the building was demolished as a result of conflagration. The building technique makes possible to conclude that the ancient building was constructed most likely towards the end of the 3rd – 4th centuries AD.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PERNIK (Vasilka Paunova – vasder@gmail.com) Three churches were discovered in 2003 and 2004: an Early Christian basilica of the 6th century AD, a Late Mediaeval church of the end of the 14th – 15th century that existed until the 19th century and St. Spas Chapel of the beginning of the 20th century. Part of a cemetery of the Mediaeval (11th century), Late Mediaeval (15th – 17th century) and Revival (1700 – 1880) periods was explored around the churches. In 2010, seven Christian burials were explored in Trench 66, close to the southern outer wall of the narthex of the Late Mediaeval church. The grave goods included a pierced silver or copper coin discovered on the chest, a bronze or silver hemispherical button, bronze buttons made of wire and a knife. The burial pits were surrounded with roughly cut stones and fragmentary bricks of the Roman period. No grave markers were found, but apparently the burial pits were marked because most of them were used for secondary burials. In such cases, the bones of the deceased from the primary burial were entirely or partly removed and placed close to one of the sides of the burial pit. The Ottoman coins, discovered in the burials, dated to the 17th – beginning of the 19th centuries and were minted by Sultans Ahmed I, Mustafa I and Selim III, while their piercing and use as pendants was _ terminus post quem _ for the date of the burials.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PERNIK (Vasilka Paunova – vasder@gmail.com) Three churches were discovered on the site: an Early Christian basilica of the 6th century AD, a Late Mediaeval church of the 15th century which existed until the 19th century, and St. Spas Chapel of the beginning of the 20th century. A sector of a Christian cemetery dated to 1400 – 1880 was explored around the churches. In 2014, 51 burial pits were explored, containing the remains of 71 individuals and dated to the 17th – 19th centuries. The grave goods included copper pendants, small chains, glass beads, pierced silver Ottoman coins and German counters, two belt clasps, a diadem, bracelets, earrings, finger-rings and hair pins. Graves Nos. 244 and 276 contained the bodies of a woman and a child in each one. One grave contained the bodies of three children. Remains from foetuses were documented in two burials of women. The explorations of the Early Christian basilica continued. Bones from horses, bears, red deer, deer, boars, oxen and sheep were found. A layer with debris from a building of the 6th century AD was discovered to the southwest of the central western entrance of the basilica. Finds from the Hellenistic period were discovered in the sondage in the northwestern room of the basilica: a bronze coin of Philip of Macedon, a silver coin of Histiaia and part of a Thracian fibula of the Bukyovtsi Type. A stratum of the 4th – 1st centuries BC existed beneath the basilica.