Archaeologists have uncovered a "unique" cache of well-preserved spices, from strands of saffron to peppercorns and ginger, on the wreck of a royal ship that sunk off Sweden's Baltic coast more than 500 years ago.
The wreck of the Gribshund, owned by King Hans of Denmark and Norway, has lain off the coast of Ronneby since 1495 when it is thought to have caught fire and sank as the monarch attended a political meeting ashore in Sweden.
Rediscovered by sports divers in the 1960s, sporadic excavations of the ship have taken place in recent years. Previous dives recovered large items such as figureheads and timber. An excavation led by Brendan Foley, an archaeological scientist at Lund University, has found the spices buried in the silt of the boat.
"The Baltic is strange - it's low oxygen, low temperature, low salinity, so many organic things are well preserved in the Baltic where they wouldn't be well preserved elsewhere in the world ocean system," said Foley. "But to find spices like this is quite extraordinary."
The spices would have been a symbol of high status, as only the wealthy could afford goods such as saffron or cloves that were imported from outside Europe. They would have been travelling with King Hans as he attended the meeting in Sweden.
Lund University researcher Mikael Larsson, who has been studying the finds, said: "This is the only archaeological context where we've found saffron. So it's very unique, and it's very special."
Wataalamu wa vitu vya kale wamegundua kifurushi cha viungo vya kupendeza, kuanzia safironi hadi pilipili na tangawizi, kwenye mabaki ya meli ya kifalme iliyozama karibu na pwani ya Baltic ya Sweden zaidi ya miaka 500 iliyopita. Meli ya Gribshund, iliyomilikiwa na mfalme Hans wa Denmark na Norway, imekaa kwenye pwani ya Ronneby tangu mwaka 1495 wakati ilidhaniwa kuwa ilichomwa moto na kuzama wakati mfalme huyo alipohudhuria mkutano wa kisiasa katika pwani ya Sweden. Meli hiyo iligunduliwa tena na waogeleaji wa michezo katika miaka ya 1960, na kuchimbuliwa mara kwa mara katika miaka ya hivi karibuni. Uchunguzi wa awali ulifunua vitu vikubwa kama vile vichwa vya sanamu na mbao. Uchimbuaji ulioongozwa na Brendan Foley, mwanasayansi wa akiolojia katika Chuo Kikuu cha Lund, umepata viungo vya vikolezo vimefunikwa katika matope ya mashua hiyo. "Balttic ni ajabu - ni chini ya oksijeni, joto la chini, salinity ya chini, hivyo vitu vingi vya kikaboni ni vizuri kuhifadhiwa katika Baltic ambapo wao si kuwa vizuri kuhifadhiwa mahali pengine katika mfumo wa bahari ya dunia, ""Foley alisema." "Lakini kupata vikolezo kama hivi ni jambo lisilo la kawaida". Kwa kuwa viungo hivyo vilikuwa ishara ya hadhi ya juu, ni matajiri tu walioweza kununua bidhaa kama vile zabibu au vitunguu vilivyoletwa kutoka nje ya Ulaya. Wangekuwa wakisafiri pamoja na Mfalme Hans alipohudhuria mkutano huo huko Sweden. "Mtaalamu wa utafiti wa kisayansi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Lund, Mikael Larsson, alisema: ""Hii ndiyo mahali pekee ambapo tumepata safroni." Kwa hiyo ni ya kipekee sana, na ni ya pekee sana".