Archaeologists are uncovering the mysteries of a 15th-century royal warship believed to have sunk after an explosion in 1495.

       The Gribshunden, belonging to King Hans of Denmark and Norway, sank in the Baltic Sea near Ronneby, Sweden, while the king was going to a political summit in Kalmar.

       Discovered by local divers in the early 1970s, the shipwreck only came to the attention of archaeologists in 2001, with excavations ramping up recently.

       Marine archaeologist Brendan Foley from Sweden's Lund University, expressed his excitement: "We've found things on this site that have no precedent archaeologically. Everything about it is fascinating."

       The Gribshunden remains one of the most well-preserved wrecks of its era, largely due to the Baltic Sea's low salinity preventing shipworms from destroying the wooden structure and its contents.

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       This vessel was one of the first artillery-equipped warships that enabled Europeans to embark on long voyages, leading to the colonisation and exploitation of areas around the world.

       Although only about 2% of the wreck has been excavated, Foley and his team have unearthed artefacts set to occupy researchers for many years.

       He said: "Hans used this [ship] as a military fortress, but also as an administrative centre, as a cultural centre, as a basis for his economic policies. We're finding evidence of all of this in the artefacts on board the ship."

       The excavation team unearthed items belonging to the start of the gunpowder era, including several intact wooden crossbows and primitive handguns.

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       They also found a purse containing silver coins, a collection of the king's exotic spices, cloves, ginger fragments, peppercorns, and chunks of saffron from as far as today's Indonesia.

       Foley said the true significance of the shipwreck comes from the stories the items tell about the lifestyles and movements of people at the time.

       He said: "Shipwrecks are like telephone calls-they're packets of information. And with the right technology and the right experts and insights, we can eavesdrop on these ancient telephone calls and reconstruct that conversation."