21 November 2024 The Future is the Product of the Past

New Study Reveals That the First English Settlers in North America Ate Dogs to Survive

The first English settlers to arrive in North America ate indigenous dogs to survive an extreme period of starvation, according to a new study.

A famine at Jamestown may have resulted from the consumption of dogs with Indigenous ancestry, according to new research that challenges previous historical narratives and reveals intricate relationships between early European colonists and Indigenous communities.

Researchers at the University of Iowa discovered that six dogs from the Virginia Company Period in Jamestown—the first permanent English settlement in North America—possessed Indigenous ancestry and were eaten by the settlers.

The study was published on May 22 in American Antiquity by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology.

Researchers now have a different perspective on how Indigenous communities in this era dealt with the emergence of colonial powers as a result of this discovery. The new study also suggests that early European colonists depended on local Indigenous communities for their very survival, especially during the initial settlement period.

In the study, scientists analyzed genetic material from archaeological specimens of dogs that lived in Jamestown between 1609 and 1617 AD. At least six of the Jamestown dogs that were analyzed had unambiguous evidence of Native American ancestry. These dogs shared mitogenomic similarities with Hopewellian, Mississippian, and Late Woodland period dogs from eastern North America.

Map of butchery and impact marks across dog skeletons. Image Credit: American Antiquity (2024)
Map of butchery and impact marks across dog skeletons. Image Credit: American Antiquity (2024)

The researchers also found that the six dogs were consumed by the residents at Jamestown. These results indicate the existence of intricate factors that contributed to the dogs’ existence in the Fort and the consumption of Indigenous dogs by Jamestown’s residents before, during, and following the Starving Time.

Archaeologists said the practice was not uncommon at the time.

‘Although the consumption of dog flesh in modern Western societies is considered taboo, there is a long history of eating dogs during periods of stress in England and other parts of Europe,’ they wrote.

Towards the end of the first year of settlement in the Jamestown area, about two-thirds of the original settlers had perished, succumbing to disease, malnutrition, or violence.

This led to the colony being nearly abandoned in the spring of 1610 after a harsh winter characterized by “violence with neighboring tribes, drought, poor harvests, lack of supplies, and severe starvation known as the Starving Time,” scientists said.

The genetic analyses of archaeological dogs also reveal insights into the social entanglement between colonizers and Indigenous communities. Dogs reflected the complex and quickly shifting social landscapes of this era by serving as a bridge and source of conflict between European and Indigenous cultures.

American Antiquity

DOI: 10.1017/aaq.2024.25

Cover Photo: Historic Jamestowne

Related Articles

Early Female Emperors in Japan “Empress Kōken”

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

Born into the aristocratic Fujiwara clan, this extraordinary woman first ascended to the throne as Empress Kōken and became the...

New ancient ape from Türkiye challenges the story of human origins

2 September 2023

2 September 2023

A recently discovered fossilized ape from a site in Turkey that is 8.7 million years old is inspiring scientists to...

Man-made Viking-era cave discovered in Iceland Bigger, Older Than Previously Thought

2 June 2022

2 June 2022

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Institute of Iceland have uncovered an extensive system of interconnected structures that are not only much...

The earliest Buddha statues in China found in northwestern Shaanxi

10 December 2021

10 December 2021

The two copper-tin-lead alloy Buddha statues discovered in northwestern Shaanxi Province became the earliest Buddha statues of this kind unearthed...

Archaeologists reveal 4,000-year-old rock-cut tomb, artifacts in Saqqara

8 January 2024

8 January 2024

A team of Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists has unveiled a rock-cut tomb believed to be more than 4,000 years old...

Thousand-Year-Old Christian Viking-era Graves Found in Sweden

28 June 2021

28 June 2021

Seven Christian tombs dating to the Viking Age have been found at Sigtuna. According to archaeologists, the tombs date to...

2000-year-old Genuine Pompeii marble relief installed in a wall lining the staircase leading down to the basement in a Belgium home

22 December 2023

22 December 2023

An important marble relief depicting the earthquake of 62 AD, stolen from the ruins of ancient Pompeii in Italy in...

Archaeologists Reveal First Settlement of Cimmerians in Anatolia

23 June 2023

23 June 2023

Continuing excavations in Türkiye’s central Kırıkkale province have revealed new findings indicating that Büklükale village was the first settlement of...

A 1900-year-old stele was discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Parion

5 August 2021

5 August 2021

A 1,900-year-old grave stele was found during excavations in Parion, an important ancient port city, near Kemer village in the...

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

22 September 2023

22 September 2023

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen...

Archaeologists unearth the remains of three dozen headless people at a stone age settlement in Vráble, Slovakia

25 September 2022

25 September 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a mass grave containing the remains of about three dozen headless bodies of people at a settlement...

‘Theodoric the Great’ villa mosaic found near Verona in Italy

17 April 2022

17 April 2022

A section of the ancient Roman mosaic flooring from the 5th century AD villa of Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great...

Archaeologists Discovered Medieval Silver Communion Set and 70 Silver Coins in Hungary

16 June 2024

16 June 2024

A 14th-century silver communion set (chalice and wafer holder) and a treasure trove of 70 silver coins were discovered in...

Flying reptile discovered in Scotland dubbed ‘Jurassic fighter jet’

24 February 2022

24 February 2022

The jawbone of a 170 million-year-old pterosaur, described as the world’s best-preserved skeleton of the prehistoric winged reptile, was discovered...

Unprecedented necropolis site found in Cappadocia, one of Türkiye’s most important tourism centers

8 July 2024

8 July 2024

In Cappadocia, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye, known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches,...