Wreck of 400-year-old ship may shed light on Portugal's trading past

Vessel and its cargo could also help clarify the importance of Cascais on the spice route

Archaeologists in Portugal have discovered peppercorns, fragments of Chinese porcelain and bronze cannon among the sunken remains of a 400-year-old ship that once sailed the spice route between Europe and India.

The wreck of the still-unidentified vessel was found at the beginning of September by a team of experts surveying an area of sea around the fishing port of Cascais, about 15 miles west of Lisbon.