EXPLORATIONS OF A LATE ANTIQUE SETTLEMENT NEAR THE VILLAGE OF MALKO TRANOVO (Boyan Dumanov – bdumanov@nbu.bg) The late antique settlement was located in the border area between Philippopolis, Augusta Traiana and Hadrianopolis, close to the north of Via Militaris. Several structures, recognized as a residential and farm building, storehouses and a household, were explored in 2003 and 2004. The foundations of their interior and exterior walls are partly preserved. Some parts of the foundations consist of two courses of broken stones with shaped outer faces and a core of smaller stones. The grooves of the outer wooden posts and props (presumably with semicircular cross-sections), which supported the lath-and-plaster walls, are visible from the both sides of the foundations. Glass fragments of windows, some of them totally burned, were discovered besides the significant amount of terracotta building materials. The majority of the pottery consists of storage vessels: dolia and large jars. A significant number of ceramic tableware (jugs, pitchers, bowls and cups) were also found. Many sherds are production wastes, which testify to a local pottery workshop. The pottery dates to the 3rd – 4th centuries. The coins found during the excavation come from the 4th century AD. Those that can be classified were minted by Constantius II and Iulian II. The latest coin belongs either to Valens, or to Valentinianus II. This particular coin, besides the single occupation level on the site and the sporadic traces of fire, suggests that the settlement was abandoned during the 370s and 380s, most likely because of the raids of the Goths.