14 DAY TRIAL // On May 1, the Smithsonian Institution, Colonial Williamsburg and Preservation Virginia issued a joint statement saying that, according to scientific evidence, early settlers in the Americas resorted to survival cannibalism in the winter of 1609-1610.
Specialists explain that early Jamestown, Va. colonists had a horrible winter to face within said time frame, and that they opted for cannibalism only to avoid starving to death.
It has long been known that, in the winter of 1609-1610, settlers in Jamestown fed on cats, dogs and even rats in order to stay alive.
However, it is only now that evidence points towards their also feeding on others of their kind.
The Smithsonian says that, following their digging out and analyzing a partial human skull and tibia dating back to the 17th century, researchers reached the conclusion that a teenage girl most likely got eaten that winter.
Thus, it appears that both the jaw and the cheek bone display clear signs of flesh having been removed off them.
Based on these remains, the researchers managed to reconstruct the girl's appearance. The three-dimensional model they pieced together is made available to you in the picture next to this article.
“The desperation and overwhelming circumstances faced by the James Fort colonists during the winter of 1609–1610 are reflected in the postmortem treatment of this girl’s body,” specialist Douglas Owsley explained.
“The recovered bone fragments have unusually patterned cuts and chops that reflect tentativeness, trial and complete lack of experience in butchering animal remains. Nevertheless, the clear intent was to dismember the body, removing the brain and flesh from the face for consumption,” he further elaborated on the matter at hand.
The girl was named Jane by the specialists who got the chance to examine her remains. It is believed that she arrived in the Americas in August 1609.
Presently, specialists are unable to say whether Jane died of natural causes or was killed by the starving colonists.
Check out the video below for more information.
