In July–August 2002 Volyn’s archeological expedition continued investigation of the multilayered site at Hrinnyky, excavation XX. The excavation measured 38 m x 8–10m, for a total area of 180 m2. 31 features were found. Among these were 4 rooms and 10 domesticpits of the Early Iron Age, 1 room and domestic pits of the Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture, 1 building of the Przeworsk culture, 2 rooms and 2 domestic pits of the Zubryts’ka culture, 1 building, 2 rooms and 1 domestic pit of the Wielbark culture, 1 building and 1 room of the Raykovets’ka culture, 2 buildings of the Kiev Rus period (10–11th cent. AD). The most numerous were features of the Lezhnyts’ka group of the the Early Iron Age. All rooms were sunken-floored, 0,3–0,6 m deep. In the fills there were many sherds of hand – made pottery with typical ornament. Apart from pottery there were a few bone awls, clay spindle whorls, and bone polishers. Three silos belonged to the Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture. There were sherds of hand-made pottery in their fill. Building 78 of the Przeworsk culture was sunken-floored, and oval in shape. It was oriented north-south, and measured 2, 7 × 2, 9 m in size, and 1 m deep. The remains of ahearthwere found along the north wall. There were a lot of sherds of hand –made pottery in their fills. Among them was a fragment of a small cup and a blackpolished bowl. The complex of hand – made pottery was typical of thePrzeworsk, Jastorf and Pomors’ko-Klyoshova cultures. This is typical for sites of the Chernichens’ka group of the LaTène period. To the Zubryts’ka culture belonged 2 rooms and 2 domestic pits. The buildings were 0,6–0,8 min depth. There were found a lot of sherds of hand-made pottery (pots, bowls, cups) in the occupation layer. To the Wielbark culture belonged remains of a large building at the north of the excavation. It was not fully investigated, as it went beyond the limits of the excavation, and will be investigated next season. Among the household rooms the most interesting is a sunken-floored building, measuring 3, 8 × 2 m, 0,7 m deep. Two millstones were found above the north wall. Clearly it was remains of a mill. Two features belonged to the Raykovets’ka culture. These were a square building, 0, 6 m depthbuilding oriented to the north - west. There was a clay hearth at the east corner. Many sherds of hand-made pottery were found, along with a bronze clasp, a fragment of a silver pendant, a fragment of an iron buckle, a fragment of a glass bracelet and a needle case. Two furtherbuildings belonged to the 11th–12th cent. AD. They were square in shape and were oriented to the north - south. There were postholes at the corners. On the floor of building 77 (11th cent.AD) were found a fragment ofa pendant, a fragment of aniron buckle. In the corner of building 80 (12th cent. AD) was a fragment of a spring from a lock.

In the Summer of 2003 Volyn’s archeological expedition continued investigation at themultilayered settlement at Hrinnyky reservoir. The area of excavation was 460 m2. 25 features were found. Among them were 4 buildings, 12 rooms, 9 domestic pits. There were foundobjects of the early Iron Age, Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture, Zubryts’ka and Wielbark culture, Raykovets’ka culture. The settlement of Zubryts’ka culture was represented by 2 household pits. They were located at the north-west part of excavation XX. There were a lot of sherds of hand-made pots. Their tops were decorated with finger indentionsand oblique incisions. An interesting find was a fragment of the black-polished vessel with an image of the tree. The features of the Zubryts’ka culture can be dated by the pottery to the 1–2nd century AD At the north-east part of the excavation were found sites of the Wielbark culture, building 79 and pit 78. Building 79 was unique for the settlement at Hrinnyky and indeed for the Wielbark culture as a whole. The buildingwas rectangular in shape, 4,2 × 6,85 m in size and oriented northeast-southwest. Along the walls were postholes, 0,6–0,8 m in diameter, 0,4–0,65 m depth. At the north-east part of the floor was ahearth, 1,2 m in diameter. The walls had a wooden framework. In the filling of the building were sherds of hand-made and wheel-made pottery and jewelry, including an iron fibula with a triangular back, two fibulasprings, a fibula spring and pin, a bone stud, a bone awl, a glass bead, two iron buckles, an iron pike, two iron knives, a few fragments of a bone comb, the remains of four clay spindle whorls, a fragment of bronze jewelry. Near the fireplace lay the ring of a silver chain, a silver denarius and a copper axe. This was probably the house of a rich person, and it is the first evidence for social differentiation in the Wielbark culture. Setllement of the Raykovets’ka culture was represented by one building and two domesticpits orbasements. The building 83 was a square grubenhaus, or sunken-floored building. It was oriented to the north – west, and measured 3,6 × 3,2 m, and 0, 43 m deep. Along the walls were postholes 0,4–0,5 m in diameter, 0,15–0,35 depth. There were sherds of hand-made and wheel-made pottery. At the north-east corner was a clay hearth witha rectangular shape, 1,1 × 1,2 m in size, and a depth of 0, 32 m. There were two silos at the north-east corner and under the west wall. In one was found half a marl hammer and marl spindle whorl.

In the summer of 2005 Volyn’s archeological expedition continued investigation at the multilayered settlement at the Hrinnyky’s reservoir, in sector XXII. The area of the excavation was 540 m2.There were found 24 features: 1 of the Lendel culture, 3 of the Lezhnyts’ka group of the Early Iron Age, 10 of the Zubryts’ka culture, 3 of the Wielbark culture, 2 of the Praga-Korchak culture, 4 of the Luka-Rajkovets’ka culture, 1 of the Kiev Rus period. Building 95 of the Early Iron Age was a rectangular grubenhaus, 3,1 × 2,48 in size and 0,6 m deep and oriented to the north – east.. There was a basement-pit 0, 22 mdeep below the west wall of the building, and a few postholes in the floor.Among the finds was bronze pin, datingdate to the 5th cent. BC At a distance 4 m from the building were houses 58 and 61. To the settlement of the Zubryts’ka culture belonged 10 features (2 rooms, 8domesticpits). The richest was a layer of the Wielbark culture. Building 90 seems to have been a shrine.. It was an oval s dugout, 3,2 × 4,8 in size and 0,8 – 1,5 m deep. Its long walls wereoriented east-west. The ground was heavily trampled, and 2, 5 cm in deep over a clay base. There was a semi-circular niche in the middle of the north wall, 0,8× 1,5 in size, and 9 postholes along the walls. This confirms that the building had a wooden framework. There was a lot of hand-made and wheel-made pottery. Among the sherds were a fragment of Roman glass, a fragment of terra sigillata, a fragment of an amphora, clay spindle whorls and a Roman coin, as well as a denarius of the limesfalsa type. Near the niche was found a carved head of the god Serapis. The niche, probably, was the altar of Serapis. The building can be dated to the first part of the 3rd cent. AD Among the other things in the occupation layer were a silver denarius of Marcus Aurelius, aniron fibula, a few iron knives, iron spring scissors, clay spindle whorls. The earliest settlement was of the Praga-Korchak culture. There were two sunken-flloored buildings (number 91 and 96). Building 91 was square, 2,7×2,8 m in size and 0,8 m deep. It had a clay hearth at the north-east corner. In the niche at the south wall was a dome-shaped oven, measuring 1.4 x 1.2m, and .60m high. . There were the postholes in the corners of the building, showing that it had a wooden frame. Building96 was rectangular , 2, 2 × 2,7 in size, and 0,7 m. deep. It hadan interesting heating device.In the north-west corner instead of a hearth were two pits 04, m in diameter and 0, 6 mdeep. The top parts of these pits were burned, while their bottoms were flat. Probably, in these pits were pots in which wood was burned. By the pottery these features can be dated to the 6th–7th cent. AD. A lot of the objects belong to the Raykovets’ka culture (8th–9th cent. AD) and to the Kiev Rus period (10th –11th cent. AD).The buildings of the 8th–9th cent. AD were large (not less than 18 m2). All buildings were oriented to the north.. Hearths were always at the east or north-east corner. There were fish hooks, clay spindle whorls, iron knives, and bone polishers in the fills of the features.

Volyn’s archeological expedition continued investigation at the archeological site of ShankivYar. Part of area XXII a square M–Н–O 80m in length was investigated, over an area of 510 m2.An Early Iron Age building was found, along with buildings of the Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture, three buildings of the Wielbark culture and two buildings of the Kyiv Rus period. The house of the Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture was square,2 × 2,5 m in size and0,5 m deep, and was oriented to the cardinal points. There were two postholes near the north wall. Pottery was typical of thePomors’ko-Klyoshova, Zarubynets’ka and Jastorfs’ka culture. All the buildings of the Wielbark culture are laid out in two lines. The distance between buildings is 5–10 m, and 6–8 m apart. A street stretches from the edge of the shore perpendicular to the river. The buildings were sunken-floored buildings, 3–3,5 × 4,5–4,8 m in size, with floors 0,5 – 0,65m deep. They were rectangular in shape with rounded corners and were oriented to the cardinal points. Тhere were continental clays along the long walls in building 103. Near the continental clays was found postholes especially in the corners of building 103 and building 107. They were situated at the corners and at the middle of the opposite walls. There were no postholes in building 105. Foundations of stove-benchs were found in building 103. There was around basement pit in the one of the corners of building 107, 1, 3 m in diameter and 0, 33 m depth. There were many sherds in all buildings. A silver Roman denarius, abone polisher,a fragment of the blade of knife and a biconical black – polished spindle whorl were recovered. There was of a bronze fibula without its pinand spring, an iron knife, a fragment of an iron fibula with a pin, a fragment of the back of a bone comb with a solar sign, an iron awl and bone awl. Building 107 was occupied during the first phase of theWielbark culture at the Volyn (the end of the 2nd– first half of the 3rd cent. AD).Building103 is dated later . There were a few sherds of gray-polished wheel bowls of provincial – Roman types (middle 3rd century AD). The latest building was 105. There was a small amount of wheel – made pottery of Chernyakhiv’ska culture (second half 3rd century AD – first half 4th century AD) in the fill of this building.

The archeological expedition of Volyn continued investigation at the settlement of Hrinnyky at Shankiv Yar. The area of the excavation was 26 × 6 m. It continued area XXI. There were found a house (building 110) of the Early Iron Age, two building of the Wielbark culture and an open hearth of the Kyiv Rus period. There was a smoke-house and two basement pits in the household complex of the Early Iron Age.Building 110 was roughly round and was oriented north – south, measuring 6,4 × 3,6, and sunken 0, 25 m. There was clay bench, 2,1 × 2,2 m in size, in north part of the building.It was probably a place for sleeping. There was a big pit, 2, 2 × 3 m in size and 1, 72 m deep in the center of the building. A pit with a hearth at the bottom was the base of the smokehouse, which was designed to dry foods like fish, ,hung on wooden sticks above the fire. This is confirmed by fishing tools found under the south wall of the building. Among them were a bone harpoon and a grip. There were also found a bronze hairpin, three spindle whorls and a bone needle. The complex of the pottery was typical of the local population (mixed Cherepino-Lagodivs’kyy and Mogyl’janskyy culture complexes). There were two silos 1 m to the east of the building. They were round, 1, 6 m in diameter and 0,4 – 0,5 m depth. In the fills were animal bones, sherds of handmade pottery and one bone awl. Building 109 of the Wielbark culture had an almost square shape with rounded corners. It was oriented north-south. The cut was 0, 85 m deep. There were five postholes in the floor,situated in the middle of the short walls and at the corners of the building. A pillar in the center of the floor was an important supportfor the roof The building was 0, 4 m in diameter and 0,35 min depth. Onemore pillar, which stood in themiddle of the western short wall, was a part of the construction of the entrance. There were deposits of ash, charcoal, and burned clay in the center of the building, suggesting a fireplace. There were bones of animals, sherds, broken tools in the fillof the building. Among the hand–made pottery forms of were kumpfs, large pots, S-profile bowls and cups. Among the wheel–made pottery were gray – polished bowls. The small finds included five bone polishers, two cases for needles, a few bone studs, an amulet of boar tusk, a few spindle whorls, ceramic game counters,the bronze clasp of a knife, an iron fish hook, the iron binding of a buckle, two iron knives, two iron fibulas and two fibulasprings. This building can be dated to the middle of the 3rd century by finds and pottery.

In the July – August 2009 the archeological expedition of Volyn continued its excavations at the archeological site at Shankiv Yar. The area of excavation was 280 m2.The cultural layer was 0,4 m deep, 0,3 m in width andwas filled by wheel-made and hand-made pottery of the Wielbark culture, Slavic pottery of the end of 10 – the beginning 11th, and individual finds of the Early Iron Age and Pomors’ko-Klyoshova culture. There were three buildings and a shrine of the Wielbark culture, and three buildings of Slavs of the 10thcentury on the site of the excavation. Building 116 of the Wielbark culture was an irregular oval in form, 5,1 × 2,4–3,4 m in size and oriented east–west. The walls were uneven. The ground walls were 0,15–0,2 mdeep. At base of the building were postholesplaced along the long axis of the floor. This wasconfirmed by seven small pits, 0,09–0,17 m depth. There was an iron knife, spindle whorls and a lot of hand-made sherds, which date this buildingto the earliest phase of settlement at the end of the 2nd cent. AD. Building 111 of Wielbark culture was a rectangular sunken-floored building 4,6 × 3,6 m in size, sunken .0,7m. The location of the postholes on the floor points to wattle and daub construction. A hearth is suggested by charcoal and ash at the center of the building. There were 59 fragments of hand–made pottery and 7 of wheel–made pottery, as well as an amphora fragment, three iron knives, a fragment of a sickle, a bone awl, a fishhook, two spindle whorls, a bead of glass and a Roman denarius. Building 114 was also a dugout. It was 7,0 × 4,8 m in size,and 1 m below ground level, oriented east–west. There were 89 fragments of wheel – made pottery of the Chernyakhivs’ka culture (bowls, ladles, jugs and pots) and 96 fragments of wheel – made pottery in the construction trench. These comprised a clay sinker, an axe – celt, a knife – a dagger, the tip of a dart, an iron knife and fire-steel, two bone awls. a few spindles and many animal bones. The most interesting building was the sacred site. It may be that this was a community altar. This was locatedat the center of the group of buildings, which belong to the second phase of the existence of the settlement. The base of the shrinewas 5 × 4 m in size, paved with a clay layer with organic matter, 0,1 – 0, 15 cm thick.. The construction was orientedNorth – South. An altar that looked like a hearth was situated at the center of the western wall. It was round in shape 1, 22 m in diameter and consisted of four layers. The area to the west of the shrinewas nearly14 × 7 m and 0,35 m deep. It was covered by a layer of gray – brown clay. There were many animal bones. Among them were skulls ofpredators (wolf, fox, boar) and pets and also a fragment of the skull of a 23 – 25 years old man and a few children’s bones. There was wheel – made and hand – made pottery, which can dated this shrine between the second half of the 3rd and the middle of the 4th century AD.

The area of the excavation was 324 m2, located at the north – west part of Shankiv Yar. At the investigated area were found a building of the Jastorf culture, a building of the Raykovets’ka culture, a building and a few features of Lithuanian-Polish period and a few constructions of the Eneolithic period. The building 116 of the Jastorf culture was round, and measured 2,5 × 3,6 m and 0, 4 m. deep The building was oriented north-south. There was a hearth at the middle of the north wall, situated in a small pit 0,8 m in diameter andfilled with ash and charcoal. The floor consisted of flat clay blocks. . There were the broken remains of a polished brown bowl near the fireplace. The profile and the ornament of the bowl are typical for pottery of the Jastorf culture. The building can be dated to the middle of La Tène period by the pottery ( 3rd – 2ndcent. BC). The building of Slavic times was a dugout, square in shape and measured 4, 1 × 4, 4 m and 0, 4 m deep. The building was oriented northeast-southwest. There were the round postholes at the middle of the opposite walls. A clay hearth was found at the east corner of the building, shaped like a horse shoe and measured 1, 2 × 1, 3 m and 0, 3 – 0, 4 m deep. The walls of the building wererounded. There was the hearth, 0, 8 m in diameter, at the north-west of the building, with traces of burned wood. There were wheel and handmade sherds of pottery of the Raykovets’ka culture in the fill of this building, decorated with tie-lines and wavy lines. Above the floor of the building was found a turtle-like silver fibula, a few iron knives and other tools. New for Shankiv Yar was the discovery of objectsfrom the Lithuanian-Polish period (14th AD– 15thAD century). Possibly this was a house of a some rich person.Beside the main building were found a kitchen and a silo. The building was a semi-dugout, rectangular in shape, measuring 3, 4 × 4, 1 m and 0,5m deep, and oriented northeast-southwest. The walls of house were frame-built. There was a rectangular clay hearth in the east corner, measuring 1, 1 × 1, 0 m in size, and 0, 57 m in height. The walls of the hearth were reinforced by the sherds and burned clay. Typical Lithuanian-Polish pottery was found in the fill of the building. The kitchen, too, was sunken-floored. It was rectangular, measuring 3, 2 × 3, 6 m and 0, 55 m deep. The construction was oriented northeast-southwest. There was a littlewheel-made pottery, typical for 14–15th centuries a few fragments of knives, a fire starter, a needle case, and a few knife blades in the fill of the kitchen.

Volyn’s archeological expedition continued investigation at the Hrinnyky reservoir near the villages of Boromel’–Hrinnyky–Naberezhne. An excavation at Tsegel’nya was also started, measuring 50 × 2–6 m. Here were found remains of construction of the Рomors’ko-Klyoshova culture and a sunken-floored buildingof the 10th cent. AD The building of the Рomors’ko-Klyoshova culture was marked by a deep deposit of clay with a lot of sherds and animal bones. It was oval in shape, 4,4×5,4 in size. Within it were found sherds of hand – made pottery, a few clay spindle whorls, a bone needle and an awl, and an iron scissors blade. This building can be dated to the middle La Tène period (3rd – 2nd cent. BC. ) The building of the Kiev Rus period was a square, sunken-floored building measuring 3, 1 × 4, 1 m, 1,2m deepand oriented northeast-southwest. There was a cubic clay hearth in the north corner, measuring1 × 1,2 m and 0, 8 m deep. The clay floor measured0,7 × 0, 6 m. There were 8 storage pits in the floor. Among the finds were sherds of wheel – made pottery, typical ofthe 10th cent. AD, a bone and an iron awl, the latter with a button on the top, two strigiles, and the remains of a clay cooking pan. Near the building was found an iron ring with two pendant, probably an element of abridle. Excavation continued at ShankivYar, the trench measuring 24,50 × 4 m. At the excavation were found two iron fibulas and one bronze fibula with ahigh bow, a fragment of a bone comb, dozens of iron knives, adelicate silver earring, a silver ring, an iron harpoon and a fishing hook. In the occupation layer of the Lithuanian-Polish period were found much pottery of the Wielbark culture, Early Slavic culture and the Lithuanian-Polish period. At the area of excavation was found grubenhaus of the Wielbark culture square in shape, 4,8 × 3,6 m in size and 0,8m deep. There was a lot of wheel – made pottery of the 14th cent. AD in the fill of this building.