Shipwrecks can tell us a lot about the people who were traveling aboard the vessels and the time periods they lived in. The Titanic wreck, for example, contained precious items like cutlery and violins. A recent discovery off the coast of Sweden showed what the passengers were imbibing hundreds of years ago.
A team of Polish divers were recently poking around a 19th-century shipwreck off the coast of Sweden when they found a treasure trove of historical artifacts. They found it in the Baltic Sea approximately 20 nautical miles off the country's coast. Among them were 100 bottles of champagne as well as other beverages and items that could hold clues about life at the time.
"We encountered a 19th century sailing ship in very good condition, loaded to the sides with champagne, wine, mineral water, and porcelain. There was so much of it that it was difficult for us to judge the quantities," the team said in a statement. "We certainly saw more than 100 bottles of champagne and baskets of mineral water in clay bottles."
Related: Archaeologists Salvage Centuries-Old Secrets From Swedish Shipwreck
The mineral water in particular was of particular interest to the researchers.
"It was this water that proved most interesting and led us to further clues. In those days, mineral water was treated almost like medicine and only found its way to royal tables. Its value was so precious that transports were escorted by the police," they said. "We came across about 100 sealed bottles of Selters water. This is a German producer which still exists, and its products are still considered exquisite."
"Thanks to the shape of the stamp and with historians help, we know that our shipment was produced between 1850 [and] 1867," they added. "Interestingly, the pottery factory [where] the water was bottled also exists, and we are in contact with them to find out more details."
One can only imagine what the bubbly tastes like after hundreds of years at the bottom of the ocean.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/HRZMjOn
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