ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PERNIK (Vasilka Paunova – vasder@gmail.com) The explorations of the Early Christian necropolis, situated over a Thracian tumulus and located at 250 m from the Hellenistic and Mediaeval fortress Krakra, continued. In 2008, 25 inhumation burials, oriented west – east and dated to the 4th – 6th centuries AD, were explored up to 50 cm in depth. The graves had stone enclosures without any covering. In 2009, 10 graves of the 5th – 6th centuries AD were explored in Sondage II. Their stone enclosures were badly damaged. The earlier graves had ridge-roof covering with tiles. Single pieces of charcoal were discovered inside the graves and under the skeletons. The later graves had stone enclosures without covering with roof tiles. Two copper coins, a bronze belt buckle of the end of the 4th – beginning of the 5th century AD and a glass bracelet were discovered near the graves. A trapezoidal pit, 1.86 m by 0.54 m in size, was documented in trench No. 234. A bronze fibula of a Thracian Type of the 4th century BC was found close to the pit.