The discovery was made by a group of searchers led by Sławomir Kaliński, president of the Triglav association, which has permission from the Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments to conduct this type of work. The group turned to Robert Wyrostkiewicz from PogotowieArcheologiczne.pl with a request for archaeological consultation.
Vistula Yacht
– Sławomir Kaliński alerted me on Saturday that something that looked like a dugout had been found. At first, only a piece of the stern was visible and it was difficult to assess whether it was really a relic or just a simple log of wood. The inspection was carried out with the participation of officers of the Water Volunteer Search and Rescue Service from Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. I determined that it was a relic, I measured it. I determined that the boat was at a depth of, on average, about 80 cm, and its dimensions were 7 m 80 cm long and about 80 cm wide – described the archaeologist.
It turned out that the boat was quite large.
– Usually dugout canoes were designed for two rowers and were 2-3 m long, maximum 4 m long – noted Robert Wyrostkiewicz.
He also assessed that the monoecious boat was “finely made”.
– The shipbuilder had quite a lot of skill. At the end of the side, you can see a rectangular hollow made by a human hand, perhaps for a steering element – described the archaeologist from the Archaeological Emergency.
The boat was made of hardwood – according to the archaeologist it could have been oak. It did not survive in its entirety – a large fragment was discovered, missing the front part, the bow.
The oldest form of boat
Robert Wyrostkiewicz reminded us that dugout canoes are the oldest forms of boats – the first of them were created in the Neolithic period. They were monoecious boats, made from a single tree trunk.
– They were also used during the Roman period, and several hundred years later the Slavic fleet consisted of dugout canoes. We know that the Slavic warships were larger dugout canoes. Perhaps the specimen found now comes from an older period, but it could just as well be a 19th-century work. Due to the degree of damage, I would estimate its age at 200-300 years, so it could date back to royal times – said the archaeologist.
He noted, however, that precise dating would be possible after dendrochronological research.
He also recalled that dugout canoes in Polesie were built back in the 1930s.
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The find was secured.
– The dugout was hidden by WOPR a few hundred meters from the place of discovery – it was submerged and covered with stones. The water will provide relatively oxygen-free conditions, which will preserve the relic until further research. The stones will prevent it from floating away, which has happened before with such discoveries – the researcher pointed out.
Łódź is now waiting for a suitable museum entity to be selected to take over its care.
PAP/bm
