In 1495, the Danish king Hans anchored his ship “Gribshunden” on the Swedish coast to prepare for a meeting with the Swedish monarch, Sten Sture the Elder. His plan was to make a deal that would give him control of Sweden. Unfortunately for Hans and most of his team, The ship caught fire and sank. On the ship were many goods worthy of such a rich and powerful man.. The loss of the ship led to a change of plans: Soon, instead of negotiating, Hans attacked Sweden and conquered the country.

what was found on the ship

The wreckage of the ship was found in the 1960s and although not in great detail, it was studied by marine archaeologists in the following years. A new study has shown that something important has been overlooked: well-preserved containers of plant material. By estimates there are more than 3,000 examples.

• spices like nutmeg, cloves, mustard, dill, saffron, ginger, black pepper and almonds.
• In fact, the fact that some spices come from Indonesia suggests that King Hans developed an extensive trade network.
• Scientists have also found dried blackberries, raspberries, grapes and flax.
• An inedible plant was also found, darknessIt has been used as medicine in the past.

Black pepper from the Gribshunden shipwreck / Photo PLOS ONE

Saffron from a shipwreck / PLOS ONE photo

The researchers note that the plant specimens are in excellent condition due to the unique conditions in which the ship lay in the cold, brackish part of the Baltic Sea.