ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN A THRACO–ROMAN SANCTUARY NEAR THE VILLAGE OF MADARA (Georgi Atanasov, Stanimir Stoichev – s_stoichev@mail.bg, Nedelcho Nedelchev) The explorations in the Thraco-Roman sanctuary continued in 2004. Archaeological excavations were carried out in trenches Nos. 12 and 13. A depth between 20 cm and 60 cm down to the bedrock was reached. Sherds of hand- and wheel-made pottery, iron nails, fragments of votive reliefs dedicated to the Thracian Rider, fibulae and coins of the 4th century AD were found. The finds confirm the date of the sanctuary: 2nd – 4th centuries AD.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN A THRACIAN SANCTUARY OF THE ROMAN PERIOD NEAR THE VILLAGE OF MADARA (Georgi Atanasov, Stanimir Stoichev - s_stoichev@mail.bg, Nedelcho Nedelchev) The explorations in the Thracian sanctuary of the Roman period continued in 2005. Archaeological excavations were carried out in trenches Nos. 12 and 13. A depth between 20 cm and 60 cm down to the bedrock was reached. Fragments of hand- and wheel-made pottery, fragmentary building terracottas, iron nails, fragments of votive reliefs dedicated to the Thracian Rider, fibulae and coins of the 2nd – 4th centuries AD were found. Three sondages aiming at clarifying the borders of the sanctuary were carried out to the north, east and west of it. No archaeological structures were discovered in the sondages. The material found during the excavations confirms that the sanctuary functioned from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF MADARA (Stanimir Stoichev – s_stoichev@mail.bg, Nedelcho Nedelchev) The explorations in the sanctuary were carried out in trenches Nos. 2, 11 and 32, down to 60 cm in depth and to the level of the bedrock. Fragmentary hand- and wheel-made pottery, fragments of building pottery, iron nails, fragments of votive reliefs of the Thracian Horseman, fibulae and coins were found. A stone with an opening that was used for a door post or a base was discovered in trench No. 2. The wall built of uneven stones bonded with mud was deconstructed in trench No. 32. Sherds were found inside and below the wall. The groove, cut into the rock platform in trench No. 22, continued under the wall in trench No. 32 and was filled with fragmentary mortar and uneven stones. Fragments of votive reliefs, a bronze coin minted by Odessos in the 3rd – 2nd century BC and a coin of Emperor Licinius were found. Sondages were carried out to the east and to the north of the sanctuary. Fragmentary hand- and wheel-made pottery was found in the sondages. The finds from the excavations confirm the already specified date of the sanctuary: 2nd – 4th centuries AD. The coin of Odessos is the only one pre-Roman find and could not be considered as a proof for an earlier date of the sanctuary.