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Keyword: gribshunden

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  • Medieval Pantry Stocked With Spices Found in 500-Year-Old Shipwreck

    02/21/2023 4:12:19 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 18 replies
    Smithsonian Magazine ^ | February 14, 2023 | Sarah Kuta
    In the summer of 1495, King Hans of Denmark and Norway anchored his warship off the southern coast of Sweden. While Hans was on land, his vessel—known as Gribshunden or Griffen—mysteriously caught fire and sank to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.Hans was on his way to Kalmar, where he hoped to be elected king of Sweden and reunite the broader Nordic region under a single ruler. As such, Hans brought many opulent status symbols, including luxurious foods and spices, to help persuade the Swedish leadership to agree to his plan.Remarkably, many of those foods and spices have survived underwater...
  • An Extraordinary 500-Year-Old Swedish Royal Shipwreck In the frigid Baltic Sea Is Rewriting the History

    03/09/2022 2:17:17 AM PST · by dennisw · 23 replies
    Smithsonian magazine ^ | Nov 2021 | By Jo Marchant
    Shipwrecks from this period are exceedingly rare. Unless a ship is buried quickly by sediment, the wood is eaten away over the centuries by shipworm, actually a type of saltwater clam. But these organisms don’t survive in the fresher waters of the Baltic, and archaeologists believe that much of Hans’ vessel and its contents are preserved. That promises them an unprecedented look at the life of a medieval king who was said to travel with an abundance of royal possessions, not only food and clothing but weapons, tools, textiles, documents and precious treasures. More than that, the relic provides a...
  • 'Sea Monster' Figurehead Emerges From Baltic Sea

    08/15/2015 12:55:30 AM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 14 replies
    Discovery News ^ | August 12, 2015 | Rossella Lorenzi
    Representing a ferocious looking creature with lion ears and crocodile-like mouth, the 660-pound figurehead stood at the prow of a ship. It was carved from the top of an 11-foot-long beam. According to experts at Blekinge museum, which was involved in the salvage effort, the “monster” was part of the Gribshunden, a 15th-century warship belonging to the Danish King Hans. The ship was anchored in Ronneby when it sunk in 1495 after a fire. A contemporary of Christopher Columbus’ flagship Santa Maria, the wreck is considered to be the best-preserved example of a 15th-century ship. Very few wrecks from that...