Marine researchers exploring the wreck of the 15th-century vessel Gribshunden have made a surprising discovery: a sealed spice chest containing peppercorns, ginger, and saffron. Chemical analysis confirms these spices originated from the Malabar Coast of India, highlighting the incredible reach of global trade routes in the Middle Ages.
The cold, brackish waters of the Baltic preserved the organic materials in near-perfect condition. This find provides hard evidence of how Sanatan trade commodities reached the royal courts of Northern Europe long before the formal age of discovery by Portuguese explorers.