ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF NOVOSEL (Stoicho Bonev – Stoi40_50@abv.bg, Stela Doncheva) The proto-Bulgarian production center functioned during the AD 930s – 940s. The explorations of the second workshop in production complex II, situated in trench No. 14, continued. The metallurgical kiln and the pit situated in front of it, both discovered in 2008, were located in the northeastern corner of the workshop. The kiln was beehive, 1.10 m in diameter. Its walls were 40 cm wide, built of stones. The fire-box was rectangular, 50 cm by 40 cm in size. Its opening was from the south. Two stones from its structure had holes, 3 cm in diameter, which supported a grill situated at 30 cm above the bottom of the fire-box. A sunken-floored workshop with a metallurgical kiln and a pit situated in front of it was discovered at c. 60 m to the east of production center II. The workshop belonged to production center III. The kiln was beehive, 1.10 – 1.20 m in diameter, preserved up to 60 cm in height. Its walls were 40 cm wide, built of stones. The fire-box was rectangular, 40 cm by 60 cm in size. Its opening was from the south. A pit, 1.80 m by 2.80 m in size, was situated in front of the kiln. The finds from the excavations included proto-Bulgarian pottery, metal and bone objects.