EXPLORATIONS IN DUPNITSA (Slavyanka Nikolova – hmuseum_dtsa@mail.bg, Sergey Ustinov) Explorations in the Northeastern and the Northwestern Sectors (designated as I and II, respectively) of the fortress, situated on the hill above the Dzherman River, were carried out. During the excavations in 1993 and 1995, the foundations of a mediaeval tower of the 11th – 12th centuries and parts of the fortification walls of the 4th – 6th centuries AD were discovered. Part of the fortification wall was discovered in Sector I. It was built of stones bonded with mortar, 80 cm wide and preserved up to 80 cm in height. Probably there was an entrance in its southeastern end. The supposed entrance was flanked by two parallel walls constructed of stones bonded with mortar and situated at 2.30 m from each other. Iron nails, clamps and a bronze coin of the end of the 4th century AD were found. Another parallel wall built in rubble masonry was discovered at 1.60 m behind the fortification wall. There was a corridor, 3.50 m long, situated between both walls. The wall constructed in rubble masonry probably belonged to a building with an approximate size of 8 m by 9 m. A marble capital, indicating the existence of a monumental building or a church, was found. The building and part of the fortification walls were demolished during the construction of the tower in the 11th century. During the 11th – 12th centuries, a necropolis appeared in the sector. Three Christian burials (two children and one adult) were discovered. A wall built of stones bonded with mortar was documented in the northwestern part of Sector I. An entrance into the fortress probably existed there. The fortification wall in Sector II was 1.10 m wide and was constructed of stones bonded with mortar. A parallel wall, 85 cm wide, and a corner of a room constructed in rubble masonry were discovered at 3.50 m behind the fortification wall. The room was destroyed by fire. A layer of collapsed roof tiles was discovered inside the room and a bronze coin of Anastasius I Dicorus and a ceramic cup were found below it. Ten dolia were discovered between the fortification wall and the room.

EXPLORATIONS IN DUPNITSA (Slavyanka Nikolova – hmuseum_dtsa@mail.bg, Sergey Ustinov) The fortification tower excavated in 1993 was re-discovered. It was 8 m by 7.60 m in size and its walls were 1.30 – 1.40 m wide, built of roughly cut stones bonded with mud. A rectangular pit, 2.50 m by 2 m in size, cut out into the rock, was explored in Sector I. Building No. 2 was discovered in Sector II, located to the southeast of the warehouse that accommodated 10 dolia explored in 2009. The building was 6.50 m by 7.60 m in size with an entrance on its northwestern wall and with walls 70 cm wide, built of roughly cut stones and boulders bonded with mud. Four dolia, dug out into the floor and covered with stone lids, a quern and a hearth were discovered in the building. The building was destroyed by a fire. Fragmentary roof tiles, five pots, two jugs, spindle whorls, whetstones, a bone hair-comb and a bronze coin of Justinian I minted in Constantinople up to AD 535 were found in the layer with traces from the fire. The building was probably a tower with a storage room on its ground floor and living rooms on the second floor. Its outer wall was part of the southwestern fortification wall discovered at 13 m in length and ending with a buttress. A tower, 8 m by 6.40 m in size, was documented in Sector III and the eastern fortification wall was discovered at 16 m in length. A knife with a bone handle, a spatula-knife, spindle whorls, a small stone icon and a dolium were discovered. The eastern fortification wall with an entrance 1.30 m wide and five buttresses was discovered at 21.50 m in length in Sector IV. Five dolia covered with stone lids, two pots, an iron spur and a silver finger-ring were discovered. The southwestern fortification wall was discovered at 27 m in length in Sector V. Two rooms were explored, situated at 1.50 m from the fortification wall. A dolium covered with stone lid, two bronze pins, an oinochoe and an iron sword were discovered. The fortification walls were 70 – 80 cm wide, built of roughly cut stones bonded with mortar or mud.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN DUPNITSA (Petar Leshtakov – junior_1_bg@yahoo.com) The explorations of the stratum with materials from the Chalcolithic period, the Early Bronze Age and the 1st millennium BC, documented in 2010, continued. It was located in Sector 1 in the highest area of the fortress. Thirteen pits were explored. Twelve pits dated to the Late Antiquity and cut the earlier stratum. They contained fragmentary building ceramics, sherds and iron objects. Part of the pits could be interpreted as related to building activities, others were storage pits. Pit No. 3 contained Thracian sherds of the Early Iron Age (11th – 6th centuries BC). A burned building of the Early Iron Age, 9 m by 4.10 m in size, was partly explored. A significant part of the building was destroyed during the building activities in the Late Antiquity. The layer with debris was 10 – 25 cm thick and contained fragmentary wattle-and-daub and sherds. A stratum, 5 – 40 cm thick, containing sherds of the 1st Phase of the Early Iron Age (11th – 9th centuries BC) and partly destroyed by the later activities, was documented.

EXPLORATIONS IN DUPNITSA (SlavyankaNikolova – hmuseum_dtsa@mail.bg, Sergey Ustinov) Thirteen pits were discovered in Sector I, 12 of them dated to the Late Antiquity. Part of the pits were related to building activities, others were storage pits. The burned Early Iron Age building was partly explored with preserved size of 9 m by 4.10 m. Chalcolithic sherds were found, accidentally occurring in the Early Iron Age stratum and in the Late Antique pits. A section of the fortification wall, 6.70 m long, was discovered in Sector IVA in the southeastern part of the fortress. The wall was 65 cm wide, preserved up to 1.40 m in height. A layer with traces from fire was documented and the finds included roof-tiles, sherds, iron nails, a hammer-pick and a small terracotta lid. A Christian burial of a child was discovered in the fortress, close to the threshold of the second entrance, probably dated to the 11th – 12th century. A bronze coin, probably of Arcadius, was discovered close to the entrance of the fortress and another bronze coin of Justin I was found close to the fortification wall. The explorations of Rooms Nos. 1 and 2 located close to the fortification wall continued in Sector V. Room No. 1 was 6.90 m by 3.15 m in size, with walls constructed of roughly-cut stones and boulders bonded with mud, 65 cm wide, and an entrance 1.80 m wide. A layer with traces from fire was documented in the room and three dolia were discovered, while the finds included pottery, fragments from two small glass spoons, a small glass cup, a coin of Licinius I, iron knives, a handle, latches, sickles, hooks, a plough, a lead weight of 1880 gr and whetstones. The room was probably a storage in the ground floor of a house that was built close to the fortification wall. A second dolium, dug out into the ground and covered with a circular stone lid, was discovered close to the dolium found in 2010 close to the fortification wall. Room No. 2 measured 4 m by 2.70 m, with walls 70cm wide.

EXPLORATIONS IN DUPNITSA (Slavyanka Nikolova – hmuseum_dtsa@mail.bg, Sergey Ustinov) The tower of the 11th – 12th centuries measured 8 m by 7.60 m and was located in the middle on the hill. Its walls were built of roughly-cut stones bonded with mud and were 1.30 – 1.40 m wide. The Late Antique fortress covered an area of 0.32 ha and dated to the 4th – 6th centuries AD. Its walls were built of roughly-cut stones bonded with mortar or mud and were 0.70 – 1.10 m wide. The fortification walls had eight buttresses and two towers. The fortress had two entrances. The tower in the southwestern sector was 6.50 m by 7.60 m in size with walls 0.70 m wide and it was destroyed by fire. A warehouse that accommodated 10 dolia dug-out into the bedrock was discovered to the west of it. The tower in the northeastern sector measured 8 m by 6.40 m. Three of its walls were built of roughly-cut stones bonded with mud and were 70 cm wide, while its front wall was constructed with a bonding medium of mortar and was 80 cm wide. The tower was destroyed by fire. There were buildings constructed close to the southern fortification wall. Building No. 1 was 6.90 m by 3.15 m in size, with walls constructed of roughly-cut stones and boulders bonded with mud and 65 cm wide. A bronze coin of Licinius I was found and three dolia were discovered. This was a storage room and probably there was a living room on a second floor. The finds included sherds, iron knives, two small glass spoons and a small glass cup. Building No. 2 was 5.30 m by 3.80 m in size, with walls constructed of roughly-cut stones and boulders bonded with mud and 65 cm wide. A dolium dug-out into the bedrock was discovered. The finds included sherds, a quern, a bone comb and animal bones. Both buildings were destroyed by fire. Building No. 3 was identical. Two dolia dug-out into the bedrock and covered with stone lids were discovered. Two Christian burials of children dated to the 11th – 12th centuries were discovered over the debris of the building. A pile was discovered, consisting of sherds, a stamped roof-tile, two spatulas, a small iron shovel, a pair of scissors, whetstones, glass spoons, an iron latch and nails, probably originating from a neighboring building. A postern was documented in the eastern sector of the southern fortification wall. A layer with traces from fire was discovered, containing a bronze fibula, an appliqué, 20 nummi minted by Anastasius I Dicorus or Justin I, an iron knife and two iron latches.