History, Science And Society, Social Commentary

Jamestown

10 Comments

We’d always known that it was rough there early on, but they’ve actually found solid evidence of cannibalism:

The researchers used this reconstruction, along with the other data, to determine the specimen was a female, roughly 14 years old (based on the development of her molars) and of British ancestry. Owsley says the cut marks on the jaw, face and forehead of the skull, along with those on the shinbone, are telltale signs of cannibalism. “The clear intent was to remove the facial tissue and the brain for consumption. These people were in dire circumstances. So any flesh that was available would have been used,” says Owsley. “The person that was doing this was not experienced and did not know how to butcher an animal. Instead, we see hesitancy, trial, tentativeness and a total lack of experience.”

As I discuss in the book (though I don’t mention this, and it’s probably not worth adding it at this point), the settlers were not well chosen, in terms of skill sets for settling. The only really useful skills most of them had were in fighting, not farming or homesteading.

I have to say, the one time that I visited the island, maybe twenty years ago, there were deer on it in rodent-like abundance. I guess they weren’t as plentiful back then. And of course, by then, it was a national historical park, and they were protected.

10 thoughts on “Jamestown”

  1. the settlers were not well chosen, in terms of skill sets for settling.

    Given the focus on science in space exploration, it seems it’s a lesson we will spend more lives relearning.

    Blacksmiths… don’t forget the blacksmiths.

  2. The skillsets issue is a very thought-provoking one. If farming or food production in general wasn’t amongst their skills, that could be the secondmost cause of their travails.

    Their bigger problem (and the leading cause of their starvation) was communism.

    They were using a communal system; everything everyone produced went to the community. And they starved. Once they allowed producers to keep some of the food they produced, food production increased dramatically. I’ve always felt that Jamestown is a great case study as to why communism and socialism can’t work.

    I happen to think the above is very relevant to a space colony. I’m also cynic enough to think we’ll make the same mistake Jamestown did.

      1. Jamestown’s near-failure was caused by its communism. The situation was only rectified in 1611 when the communal system was ended.

        http://www.ccsindia.org/article/people_rw_when_us_tried_communism.asp

        And yep, it happened in Plymouth too. In fact, communism (though it wasn’t called that then, of course) was a common denominator in almost all the failed and near-failed colonization attempts in the Americas. (Roanoke wasn’t the only failed one, just the most famous). Yet, in spite these and all the other examples proving that it cannot work, we’re busily wrecking out country with aspects of it today.

        @ Ken; Will they ever learn? If history shows us anything, the answer to that is “no”.

  3. As I recall, scientists have postulated that the Jamestown colony had the misfortune of the worst drought in the southeast US in several hundred years.

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