Bulbs of onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.) from the 15th-century Copper Wreck in Gdansk (Baltic Sea): a part of victualling?

Plant remains recovered from ancient shipwrecks can provide a valuable insight into the history of these vessels. Most botanical studies conducted on wrecks concern the identification of wood species used in building vessel structures, with fewer studies being carried out on seeds and fruits, and fewer still on vegetative parts of plants. Bulbs of garlic and onion were discovered during the exploration of the 15th-century Copper Wreck, which sank near the port of Gdansk (southern Baltic Sea, N Poland). The results of archaeological, historical and archaeobotanical analyses suggest that plant material was probably an element of victualling rather than cargo. The paper presents a morphological description of garlic (Allium sativum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) finds, outlines the introduction of these species to the Old World and summarizes information on the use of both plants as food or medicine, especially during a sea voyage. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.