ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PHILIPPOPOLIS (Bistra Koleva – b.ralinova@abv.bg) The explorations were carried out on Nebettepe Hill. The lowest stratum lies on the bedrock. Constructions of boulders with circular layout and clay constructions were discovered. Series of handles of kantharoi from the early stage (11th – 9th centuries BC) of the Early Iron Age date the stratum. The upper Hellenistic stratum contains two layers. Seven beehive ritual pits with bottoms paved with boulders were discovered within the lower layer. The pits contain wheel- and handmade pottery (including two biconical urns), black-gloss pottery, mouths of dolia, curved terracotta borders of ritual hearths with front sides shaped as stylized animal heads, two pyramid-like loom weights and coins of Philip of Macedon. A floor level of the later period within the Hellenistic stratum was discovered above the layer with the pits. Four Early Christian burials without grave goods were dug within the eastern part of the Hellenistic stratum. Part of a north – south oriented outer wall of a Roman building was discovered in the western sector of the site. Only the foundation of the wall was preserved. It is 1 m in width and is built of uneven stones bonded with mortar. A coin found within the foundation dates the building to the second half of the 2nd century AD. Badly destroyed walls of the Late Mediaeval period were explored in the northern sector.