The "unique" spices that archaeologists discovered included saffron, pepper and ginger. Spices were found on the remains of a royal ship that sank in the Baltic Sea more than 500 years ago.
The Gribshund, owned by the Danish and Norwegian King Hans, has been located off the coast of Ronneby, Sweden since 1495. The ship is believed to have caught fire and sank while the king attended a political meeting in Sweden.
The wreck was discovered by sports divers in the 1960s. Scattered excavations have occurred in recent years. During previous dives, large items such as bows and wood were found.
The excavation of the spices was led by archaeologist Brendan Foley, at Lund University. Archaeologists have found spices buried in the ship's silt.
The Baltic Sea is strange - low in oxygen, low temperature, low salinity, many organics are well preserved in the Baltic Sea but cannot be preserved as well as in other places in the world's ocean system. However, finding spices like this is quite unusual" - archaeologist Foley shared.
Spices are a symbol of high status because only rich people can buy items such as saffron blossom or cloves imported from outside of Europe. These spices were brought to King Han when he attended a meeting in Sweden.
Lund University researcher Mikael Larsson has studied these findings. He shared: "This is the only archaeological site where we have found the saffron flower beds. So it's very unique and special."
