An archaeological investigation of a well - knownshipwreckoff the cost of Sweden has bring out a glimpse into lifetime in the royal courts of 15th C Scandinavia , with the discovery of more than 3,000 plant specimens on display panel – including such exotic and exclusive spices as saffron , ginger , cloves , peppercorns , and almonds .
The slump ofGribshundenis a narration that would n’t be out of place in a drollery show : the ship was meant to be the flagship of King Hans ( John ) of Denmark and Norway , bring the monarch from Copenhagen , in Denmark , to a political summit in Kalmar , Sweden , in 1495 . His hope was a dim-witted one : he wanted to unite the three Scandinavian country – specifically , to merge them under his prescript .
or else , the ship burned down and sank before it ever reached its finish , get hold of with it incalculable wealth intended to woo the Swede to connect the Danish - Norwegian kingdom .
Saffron from the Gribshunden shipwreck site. Plant parts of saffron: a-c) stigmas, d) petri dish showing a portion of the recovered saffron stigmas. Image credit: Larsson and Foley, PLOS ONE, 2023 (CC BY 4.0)
The ship , and its cargo , stayed blot out under 10 meters ( 33 feet ) of weewee in the seas off the north side of Stora Ekön , on the south coast of Sweden , until it was rediscover in the seventies . Naturally protect over the 100 by the surpassing environmental conditions of the Baltic ocean , Gribshundenisnow consideredby experts to be one of the world ’s best preserved fifteenth - C ships , with a slew ofarchaeological findsbeing call for from the shipwreck over the decades .
The young study , though , is the first to consider the plant liveliness that was taken on card the ship . It ’s authoritative not just for the archeological record – many of these plant comprise the former know examples of their metal money in the Baltic region – but it also gives what the investigator are calling “ an unequaled perceptivity into the workings of the recent medieval Nordic regal court . ”
It ’s no exaggeration : more than just a ship , Gribshundenwas nothing less than a “ floating castle ” , the investigator spell , serving as the flagship and mobile seat of government of the king . Along with the bright Hans , the ship was full stocked with pretentious video display of the king ’s wealthiness and government agency : artillery unit , a battalion of professional soldier , and small arms include crossbow and gunpowder weapon system , as well as descriptor of flaccid power like coinage , art , and livery .
Black pepper from the Gribshunden shipwreck. Plant parts of black pepper: a-c) different views of peppercorns, d) stalk segments, some with unripe berries of pepper. Image credit: Larsson and Foley, PLOS ONE, 2023 (CC BY 4.0)
And if there was one thing that was assure to print back in fifteenth century Europe , it was a fully - stock up spice wrack . It ’s easy to take things like nutmeg tree and clove for grant today , butentire warsandbloody genocideswere hold out in the name of these now - lowly flavorings : “ Only those who possess sufficient financial imagination could open these expensive solid food items , ” the researchers note . “ [ They were ] a sumptuousness limited to the elite group . ”
As such , these alien spices would attend to not just as ways to make the King ’s meals tastier on his journeying from Copenhagen to Kalmar – though they sure enough would have been used for that too – but as “ a crucial aspect of King Hans ’ and other monarchs ’ presentation of themselves to their subjects , ” the investigator compose .
“ HadGribshundensafely arrived in Kalmar , from its deck Hans would have employ all style of elite group signalise to impress the Swedish Council , ” they explain . “ The consumption of exotic food certainly was symbolical of prestigiousness and societal favorable position within Hans ’ land . It also demonstrated that King Hans and medieval Denmark were culturally integrated with the rest of Europe , and the world beyond the continental borders . ”
Of course , it ’s severe to sail to Kalmar when your boat is on fire and under piddle , and Hans would not make it to the height in time to court the Swedish ruler . alternatively , he had to rely on the former mainstay of outside diplomacy : war . After a unretentive and effective military campaign – help oneself in no small part by the fact that the Swedish nobility were all kind of nauseated of the guy in charge anyway – Hans eventually admit the pennant of Sweden in 1497 , at long last achieving his goal of uniting Denmark , Norway , and Sweden under theKalmar Union .
The loss ofGribshunden – and its richly stock pantry – would no doubt have been a huge loss to the Danish crown , but it ’s a priceless discovery for modern archaeologists .
“ TheGribshundenassemblage of provisions and alien spices is the only known archeologic example of a well concluded royal medieval buttery , ” the researchers write . “ We [ can ] glimpse the ethnic and social form of the elite : how the crowned head and nobleness behaved , what they feed , how their food was prepared . This allows discourse of mediaeval elite using up and the societal differentiation of foodways . ”
The study is print in the journalPLOS ONE .
