Unique discovery was found outside the Starosillia village in Manevychi raion by local fishermen. The particularly dry summer this year has contributed to the fact that not only wells and rivers grow shallow – even lakes do! So, when the water level in Styr near Starosillia has dropped, the men saw something large in the water, but not like a regular log... it was a boat 12 meters long! Such boats are called dugout or logboats, as they were carved by hand (!) from a single tree trunk. This particular one is made of oak – and maybe even a thousand-year-old one, for it takes centuries for trees to grow to this size. And before the work the tree had to be bogged for a hundred years more in the water in order to make it more durable.
There have been similar findings in Volyn before, as dugout boats were a means of transport for our ancestors. There are two logboats in Volyn local history museum, 5 and 7 meters long, but they belong to the 17th and 18th centuries. A dugout had been found recently in Liubeshiv raion, but its length was only 3.5 meters. Therefore, the Starosillia boat is a sensation, because none of its kind has ever been found in Ukraine. Its width is 75 centimeters; depth is up to a meter. Until all the relevant examinations done, the age of the boat is difficult to determine, one can only assume (by the age of wood and the length of a boat) that it dates back at least five hundred years. It has perfectly preserved in the Styr, because the soil here is turf, which offers good conditions for the conservation of wood. The boat was excavated by Petro Khomych, director of Manevychi local history museum. He had to arrange for the transportation, the crane, the workers... Regional culture ministry officials did not bother much with the task. Khomych has found a premise in Manevychi where the boat may wait for the restoration, but the restoration itself is an expensive process. So, the museum is now looking for sponsors.
