EXPLORATIONS OF MEDIAEVAL SETTLEMENT IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) Remains of an oval construction, 5 m by 6 m in size, built of middle-size stones were explored. Most likely, this is a sunken-floored building, which was dug at least at 70 cm in depth. There are no data about its entrance, the roofing construction and the hearth. The finds are typical of the First Bulgarian Kingdom (7th – 10th centuries). Spindle whorls, an iron knife and remains of metallurgical activity (significant amount of iron slag) were found, in addition to the pottery. Two stone fragments with smooth faces and incised graffiti are of special interest. A wall with single face was discovered during the removing of the stones fallen inside the oval building. Its structure differs from the wall of the building and apparently it formed part of another, earlier construction. The wall is 3.10 m in length and is preserved at least down to 80 cm in depth. The finds related to the wall also come from the First Bulgarian Kingdom. In addition, remains of a monumental wall, 2.60 – 3 m in width, were discovered. The eastern face of the wall was explored. The material discovered also comes from the First Bulgarian Kingdom. The function of the monumental wall located within the settlement is yet to be clarified. Some structures, most likely remains of dwellings, were registered to the north of the monumental wall. Single-faced walls and inhabitation strata were discovered.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The exploration of the sunken-floored house in trench No. 41 continued. Two construction periods were registered. During the first period the house had one room. During the second period the house was partly dug, its area was enlarged and it was divided in two rooms by a perpendicular wall. The walls of the house had timber construction. A hearth was explored close to the house. The finds include ceramic vessels, two bone awls, a small stone ball, two spindle whorls, two iron arrowheads, two small knives, an iron nail, a cramp, an iron plate and a small whetstone. The exploration of the wall with faces built of big stones and a core of small stones continued in trenches Nos. 33, 40, 41. The wall is c. 1 m in width. Most likely it surrounded the yard of the house. Slag, burned lath-and-plaster and melts were found in one area of the yard. Presumably, a workshop existed there. The exploration of the walls in sondage No. 2/1983 continued. A corner of a monumental building was discovered. The wall oriented southwest-northeast was explored at 28 m in length and the wall oriented northwest-southeast was explored at 11 m in length. The walls are 1.20 – 1.50 m in width and are built of uneven stones. Early Mediaeval sherds were found.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The excavations were carried out in the central part of the settlement (Sector A). Geophysical and electromagnetic surveys were carried out on an area of 4800 sq. m with remains of walls visible on the surface, located in trenches Nos. 23, 29 and 30, near the corner of the building that was discovered in 2006. Surrounding walls, closing a yard with approximately the same area, were identified. The results from the surveys were confirmed through five sondages. The southeastern wall is built of uneven and partly cut stones and is 1.50 m in width. Early Mediaeval sherds were found. Tracing out the surrounding walls, discovered in the previous archaeological seasons, continued in trenches Nos. 33, 34, 40, 41, 42 and 48. The southwestern surrounding wall, 40 m in length, was entirely traced out. Tracing out the northwestern surrounding wall, discovered at 25 m in length, continued. The area of the yard is 1000 sq. m. The house that was explored during the previous archaeological seasons is situated in the center of the surrounded area. The exploration of the house in trench No. 41 continued. The house had a rectangular room, 3 m by 5 m, dug into the ground. Its southern wall was faced with stones. There is a stone wall, rising at c. 1 m in height, in the middle of underground wall faced with stones. It was used for supporting the construction of the house that was situated above the ground. Two similar supporting walls were constructed at the corners of the northern wall of the underground room. A circle of smaller stones and stone steps for wooden posts surrounds the rectangular underground room of the house. Presumably, there was a wooden construction supporting a shelter, which protected this part of the house that was constructed above the ground.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The explorations were concentrated in Sector A in the central part of the settlement. The surrounding wall of the yard, which measured 0.0684 ha and was explored during the preceding archaeological seasons, was traced out. The wall was c. 1.50 m wide and was built in rubble masonry with a bonding medium of clay. The numerous millstones reused in the structure of the wall were an interesting feature. The explorations of the semi-dug sunken-floored house situated approximately in the center of the yard continued. The dug-out part of the house had an area of c. 9 sq. m and was filled with earth and charcoal, covered by debris (stones and clay) from the collapsed upper structure of the house. The northern and the southern walls of the dug-out part of the house were faced with stones. The upper part was supported by two pilasters in the northern part and one pilaster in the southern part of the house. There was an oven situated at the eastern end of the northern wall. The oven was constructed of stones bonded with clay and was 60 cm wide, 1 m long and 50 cm high. A millstone was discovered in front of the oven. The floor of the house was of trampled clay covered with wooden planks. There were two pits in the floor, dug each inside the other. The larger pit was plastered with clay. Carbonized grain was found inside the pit. The pits were covered with wooden lids and probably were used as silos. The house was burned.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) A semi-dug sunken-floored storage room with approximate size 3.40 m by 4 m was explored in trench 34/23. Its eastern wall was 40 cm thick and was built of stones arranged in Läufer-Binder-Technik. Charcoal from burned timber construction was found. The floor was from trampled clay. A dolium, a small pot, querns and an arrowhead were found in the room. A sunken-floored room with approximate size 3.40 m by 3.40 m was documented in the northern part of the yard. Its walls were faced with stones bonded with clay. Small terracotta figurines were found in the room. A sunken-floored room was documented in trenches 35/21 and 41/1. Clay plaster was found. Burned plaster from clay floor of a room was found in trench 41/2. The room was burned during the fire that destroyed the settlement. A flat clay baking dish was discovered in the room. A stone wall, parallel to the fence wall, was documented in the western part of the yard.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) Dugout No. 2 measured 3.40 m by 3.40 m and its walls were faced with roughly-cut stones. The entrance of the dugout was close to its northern corner. A stove constructed of stones was discovered in its northern corner, containing a layer of ash with sherds, burned bones and eggs’ shells. A storage-pit for grain was explored at the southwestern wall of the dugout. Postholes that supported the roofing construction were documented in Dugout No. 3. Debris from a stove constructed of stones was explored. A room was discovered in the northern part of the building that was previously explored and fragmentary wattle-and-daub from the walls was found. A platform of stone slabs, including a reused quern, was discovered close to the southeastern corner of the building. The settlement dated to the 9th – 10th centuries AD.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) Sunken-floored House No. 2 measured 3.20 m by 2.20 m. The interior of its dugout part was faced with stones. The entrance was 1.50 m wide and most probably, the access was carried out through a timber ladder. The roof was probably constructed of timber beams covered with earth. A storage pit for grain was discovered to the west of the house. The finds comprised a bone awl and a whetstone. Sunken-floored House No. 3 was 10.20 sq. m in size. Late Antique and Mediaeval sherds were found. The interior of its dugout part was not faced with stones. A stove constructed of stones was discovered in its northern corner. The explorations of Sunken-floored House No. 5 began. The explorations of the warehouse discovered in 2009 were completed. It was sunken-floored and its interior was faced with stones. The building was dug out into a stratum of the second half of the 4th century AD. The settlement dated to the 9th – 10th centuries.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The observations showed that there were buildings and dougouts closely located to each other within the fortified area of the settlement. The floor of Dugout No. 2 was a leveled stratum of an earlier dugout. The earlier dugout was reused for the new one and its interior was divided by a wall built of stones bonded with clay. The roof was supported by wooden posts. The explorations of Dugout No. 5 continued. Most probably, it was abandoned immediately before the fire that destroyed it. The explorations of Dugout No. 4 were launched. Dugouts Nos. 6 and 7 were documented.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The explorations of the dugouts in the eastern part of the settlement surrounded by a stone wall, continued. Postholes were discovered in House No. 2. A stone stove was documented in House No. 4a. Subsequently, House No. 4 was dug into House No. 4a. Postholes were discovered in the later house and a stone stove was documented. A stove constructed of stone slabs was discovered in House No. 5 and postholes were documented. The walls of House No. 6 were faced with stones with incorporated timber posts driven into the earthen floor. A stone stove was discovered, incorporated into the stone face of the northern wall. A dug out structure, probably a house, with material of the second half of the 4th century AD, was documented beneath the Mediaeval warehouse in Trenches 34/23. Two dug out structures, probably graves of the second half of the 9th – 10th centuries AD, were documented to the north of Tumulus No. 7 (Ginina Mogila Tumulus) with an Early Hellenistic Thracian tomb.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The explorations of House No. 5 continued. Its eastern part was situated beneath the stone surrounding wall that was constructed later. Two construction phases of the house were documented. The explorations of House No. 7, 4.40 m by 4.80 m in size, continued. The explorations of House No. 8 continued; subsequently the surrounding wall of the settlement was constructed over it. The explorations of House No. 9 continued, also situated beneath the surrounding wall. House No. 10 was documented, situated outside the surrounding wall of the settlement. The Mediaeval houses dated to AD 850 – 1000. Late Antique House No. 1 had an oval layout, c. 4.40 m in diameter, and was situated beneath the level of the Mediaeval houses. It dated to AD 350 – 400.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The explorations continued within the fortified area of the settlement. A row of postholes was documented in House No. 8. The northern part of House No. 9 was situated beneath the surrounding stone wall of the settlement. A row of postholes c. 20 cm in diameter was discovered within the house. A pottery kiln was discovered between the storage pits of Houses Nos. 8 and 10. The northern periphery of the farm building was partly situated beneath the northwestern sector of the surrounding stone wall of the settlement that seems to be the latest structure. Several circles of stones, 30 – 50 cm in diameter, were documented between the dugouts; they probably were the bottoms of grain storage structures. The structures discovered in the settlement dated to the 9th – 10th centuries AD, except for House No. 1 dated to the 4th – 5th centuries AD.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN SBORYANOVO (Elena Pencheva – e_pencheva@mail.bg, Mariya Nikolaeva) The excavations showed dense settlement within the area surrounded by a wall, consisting of houses and dugouts. The explorations of Houses Nos. 4, 4a, 5, 5a and 9 were completed. The pit in House No. 8 cut the pottery kiln. The excavations of Late Antique House No. 1 dated to the 4th – 5th centuries AD were completed. Eight pits were discovered: Pit No. 4 dated to the Neolithic period, Pit No. 3 was related to the occupation of the Late Antique house and Pits Nos. 1, 2, 6 and 8 preceded the construction of the Mediaeval farm building. Pit No. 1 was explored in the western part of the area surrounded by a wall; it was a grain storage pit. The Mediaeval structures dated to the 9th – 10th centuries AD.