Colonist skeleton confirms cannibalism in Jamestown

The research came from anthropologists studying the skeleton of a teenage girl.

They told the Washington Post the girl’s bones showed marks from a cleaver and knife. Indications they say, that she was butchered.

Scientists from the Smithsonian worked on the remains and said “historians have to decide whether this type of thing happened, I think that it did.”

But he added “we didn’t see anybody eat this flesh, but it’s very strong evidence.”

They discovered the initial try at cutting the body seemed to be tentative. But shortly afterwards the intensity of the attempts grew greatly.

The winter of 1609-1610 was known as “starving time” in the colonies and it’s long been thought cannibalism was a part of how the colonists survived.

What isn’t clear is whether the girl was eaten after she had already died or if she was killed for food.

In another remarkable step the scientists re-created her face.