KASTRITSI FORTRESS (Igor Lazarenko – lazarenko@mail.bg, Maria Manolova-Voikova) The excavations continued in the central southern part of the fortress. Four houses of the 14th – first half of the 15th centuries were discovered, situated to the south of Church No. 2 and built of faced stones bonded with clay. Iron nails and clamps were found, but roof-tiles were absent, indicating that the roofs were constructed from timber and straw. House 1 measured 5.35 m by 4.50 m with two occupation periods. The house dated to the second half of the 14th – beginning of the 15th centuries and was built over the debris of a Late Antique structure. House 2 measured 7.60 m by 4.80 m with two occupation periods. Two stone stoves and finds of the second half of the 14th – first half of the 15th centuries were discovered. House 3 measured 7.30 m by 4.55 m with two occupation periods. The later one contained craft tools, agricultural tools, pottery, coins of the second half of the 14th – beginning of the 15th centuries, a bronze matrix with the image of St. Joachim used to produce metal plates of icons. A stone stove and coins of the second half of the 14th century were discovered in the earlier one. A stratum with finds of the end of the 13th – 14th centuries and Late Antiquity was discovered beneath. House 4 measured 6 m by 4 m with two occupation periods. The latest one dated to the end of the 14th – beginning of the 15th centuries, while the earlier one contained finds and coins of the second half of the 14th century. The two floor levels were situated over the debris of a Late Antique building constructed of small ashlars bonded with clay and with floor paved with stone slabs. The finds included tegulae, imbrices, sherds and coins of the 5th – 6th centuries AD. A stratum with sherds of the 2nd – 4th centuries AD was explored beneath the Late Antique building. Another stratum with pieces from charcoal and Late Chalcolithic sherds was discovered beneath. The finds from the excavations included sherds and ceramic vessels mostly of the 14th – first half of the 15th centuries, jewelry of the 14th – 15th centuries, weapons, 140 coins: the earliest one a Roman denarius of the second half of the 2nd century AD and the latest one a silver akçe of Sultan Murad II.