The contents of an 18th-century shipwreck found in the Skagerrak strait between Norway and Denmark are "the best-preserved cargo of this kind ever found in Northern Europe," according to the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage.
Norwegian Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen described the find, made by a Norwegian diver at a depth of 600 metres, as "sensational."
The find includes porcelain believed to be Chinese in origin, chandeliers, goblets, textiles, grain and crates thought to contain tea, herbs and medicines.
"Work is continuing, and the archaeologists are constantly making new finds," the authority said on Tuesday.
The chandelier fragments could be of German or English origin. "A brick from the galley bear the stamp of the Lübeck brickworks that was in operation from the 15th century up to 1772," it said.
"Shipwrecks found close to the coast are often destroyed or have been looted," Nina Refseth, director of the Norwegian cultural history foundation, said in a statement.
"Investigating a find in the open sea and at this depth allows us to look into a virtually untouched time capsule," Refseth said.
The first exhibits are to be displayed in the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo later this month.
