Lost Colony of Roanoke: Map's hidden clue could solve 400-year-old mystery
3 HOURS AGO AUGUST 14, 2015 11:07PM
A close-up of the hidden clue that lead researchers on a path to answering a 400-year-old mystery. Picture: British Museum Source: Supplied
A SECRET clue on a centuries-old map could solve a 400-year-old puzzle: What happened to a group of colonists who disappeared without a trace?
A group of 115 pioneers were sent to the New World with the mission to found a new city and expand their queen's empire.
But six years later, their settlement was deserted: 90 men, 17 women, 11 children had all disappeared into oblivion.
It was suggested that they could have been slaughtered by a Native American tribe but, curiously, there was no sign of a struggle or battle.
Now, a centures-old map may finally provide the answers historians have longed for.
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth hoped to build upon the British Empire by expanding and colonising the "New World", which we now know as the United States.
The Roanoke Colony was an attempt by the British to establish a permanent settlement in what is today's Dare County, in North Carolina, on the US east coast. They hoped to use it as a launching pad for raids against Spanish ships, who were at war with the British at the time.
After two reconnaissance missions, a third group of 115 colonists were dispatched to establish a colony in 1587, headed by Governor John White.
"This voyage was the first to include families and farm tools, their mission was to establish a permanent 'Cittie of Raleigh' and, of course, to add wealth to the queen's coffers ... the prior explorers were told of gold, copper and other resources farther inland," Alastair Macdonald, officer and archeologist for the First Colony Foundation, told news.com.au.
But after their relationship with Native Americans turned sour, Governor White was persuaded to return to England in a desperate bid to bring supplies, resources, and help.
"The prior explorers were not very statesmanlike in their communications with the native Indians in the area. They did need more room in a friendlier environment," Mr Macdonald said.
The map, which Governor John White began drawing in 1585, in full. Picture: British Museum Source: Supplied
COLONISTS VANISH WITHOUT A TRACE
Thanks to the Anglo-Spanish war, it took Governor White three years to return.
In that time something in the Cittie of Raleigh went wrong, and when White landed in 1590, he found the settlement deserted. The colonists had disappeared into oblivion.
Nothing was ever heard of from these people again. There was, however, a clue that suggested they may have moved to nearby Croatan Island. The word "Croatan" was found carved into a post, along with "Cro" carved into a nearby tree.
It could also suggest the colony was captured by its islanders.
Foul weather forced Governor White back to sea and home to England. He would never return.
Theories suggested the lost colonists ran into trouble after encountering a Native American tribe and were brutally slaughtered.
HIDDEN CLUE IN 400-YEAR-OLD MAP
A "fort-like image" is visible on the map behind a paper patch after it is backlit. Picture: British Museum Source: Supplied
Researchers have uncovered compelling evidence that could finally provide an answer to what happened, suggesting the lost colonists of Roanoke went "native".
In 2012, the First Colony Foundation asked the British Museum to take a closer look at a 16th-century map drawn by Governor White. Using 21st-century imagine techniques, they found hidden markings, apparently drawn in invisible ink, that revealed a "fort-like image" concealed on the map. It was likely an inland fort where the colonists may have resettled after abandoning the coast for what is now Albemarle Sound, 96km west of Roanoke Island."It was a matter of curiosity on one of our board members, Brett Lane, who just casually asked, 'What are those patches there for?'," Mr Macdonald said."Nobody had ever addressed that issue or examined the map, it seems. Historians just said White was cautious with his cartography, if there was the least bit of blemish he would always redraw it. It was dismissed historically as a correction."This was our first big discovery."
DISCOVERY LEADS TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG AT 'SITE X'
A photo from a 2012 excavation at Site X. Source:Supplied
Clay Swindel, First Colony Foundation's prehistoric archeologist, holds a small fragment of copper, excavated July 2014. Source: Supplied
That discovery lead to an archaeological dig at a spot they call "Site X", and for three years, Nicholas M Luccketti and a crew of archaeologists, including Mr Macdonald, have been digging small swathes of land, finding artefacts that may have been used by the settlers after they fled the colony.
It is these artefacts that could provide answers to this centuries-old mystery .
"I'm trying to make sure that I say this correctly," Mr Luccketti told The New York Times ."We have evidence from this site that strongly indicates that there were Roanoke colonists here."
In just a small area - two acres - a high volume of Elizabethan artefacts was discovered: a food-storage jar known as a baluster (which experts suggest was manufactured in western England), fragments of pottery (made south of London) and a metal hook used to stretch animal hide.
Researchers, shy to come to any conclusions, believe these items were left behind by the colonists when they moved inland to live with Native Americans. Still, it's too early to tell, but researchers are quietly confident.
WHY ARE THESE FINDS SIGNIFICANT?
Alastair Macdonald searches for artefacts during an excavation. Source: Supplied
"Elizabethan artefacts just do not appear on sites like this," Mr Macdonald explained. "Elizabethan artefacts appear on very few other sites in Carolina at all. There's virtually none ... the concentrations of Elizabethan objects are on Roanoke Island, the site of the Croatan village and our site."Nobody else would have had that, especially since no other English or Europeans were in that area until Nathaniel Batts came in the 1650s."It is interesting too that there were artefacts from several pots, it wasn't just one object that was broken. That suggests there might have been a certain continuity at the site for a period of time."
HAVE ARCHAEOLOGISTS SOLVED THE MYSTERY?
Not so fast, says Mr Luccketi. He told The New York Times that fewer than a dozen colonialists were present for an indeterminable amount of time.
"It's speculative of course, he wished to emphasise that it was not a migration of the entire group of colonists," Mr Macdonald said."It could be they ultimately lived with the villagers. We do believe that some went to the Croatan tribe but it's likely the colonists did fracture."But this is the first stepping stone."
WHERE TO NOW?
"Something happened between 1587 and 1590, we know they were there in 1587 and we know they were gone in 1590, and it is certainly expected that some of them went to the village of Croatan , but we think that area would not have been large enough to support all of the villagers," Mr Macdonald said, adding "it would be negligent for us to leave the site without additional research. We have, in fact, appropriated funds for additional excavations there this fall."We are definitely treating this as a high-priority site. No one in archeology wants to predict what will be found, but this is a known significant spot, and we hope to continue to study the surrounding unknowns."
The First Colony Foundation hopes to expand their search of Site X "where it is helpful" and excavate it thoroughly."Everyone has encouraged us that what we're finding is really exciting and terribly significant," Mr Luccketi said."And we just need to do some more here."
Watch this space.
For more information on the lost colony of Roanoke, visit the First Colony Foundation 's website .
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