EXPLORATIONS IN CHERVEN (Stoyan Iordanov – stojan_jo@abv.bg) The explorations of the buildings, partly discovered during the previous excavations in the southern and the western sectors of the Inner Town of Cherven, continued. The building in trench XI probably was a shelter open to the south, which was a workshop. The northwestern corner of the smithy was explored. Fragmentary wattle-and-daub, fragments from a destroyed furnace and burned wooden beams, probably from the floor of the upper storey, were found. The building situated in trenches ХVІІІ – ХІХ was explored. It was single-room and measured 9.40 m by 4 m. Its walls were 40 – 60 cm wide and were constructed in rubble masonry. A coin from the second half of the 14th century was found on the floor. A pile of stones, constructed during the 14th century, was discovered close to the south of the building. There was a path paved with stones, 80 cm wide, situated over the stone pile and it was explored at 4.80 m in length. The path probably leads to the northern water-supplying corridor of the fortress. A Christian necropolis, which existed until the end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th century, was discovered in the eastern half of trench XX. Parts of skeletons laid in a pile were discovered. There were bones from children among the skeletal remains. Three regular Christian burials were also discovered. A Bulgarian imitation of the end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th century was found in grave No. 1. A child, c. one year old, was buried in grave No. 2. A woman was buried in grave No. 3. The wall situated to the southwest of the explored area was discovered. It was c. 1 m high and 17 m long. There was a terrace, up to 5 m wide, situated between the wall and the rock cliff. A staircase with eight steps, 3.80 m long and 90 cm wide, connected the terrace with the road leading towards the western part of the town. There was a room, 4 m by 3.10 m in size, cut out in the rock, situated in the northern end of the terrace and adjoining the inner side of the northern fortification wall. The finds from the excavations included sherds from the 13th – 14th centuries, iron knives, rings, clamps, an ashlar with incised crosses, and coins of the Bulgarian Kings Michael Shishman (1323 – 1330), Ivan Alexander (1331 – 1371) and Ivan Shishman (1371 – 1393).