Archaeologists might have solved one of America's oldest mysteries. After 400 years, the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke has possibly been uncovered in North Carolina, according to the New York Times.
Known to scientists as Site X, a hillside near Albemarle Sound has been the source of intensive study for the past three years. Archaeologists were led here by a map from the 16th century, and it might have led them to one of history's most valuable treasures.
"We have evidence from this site that strongly indicates that there were Roanoke colonists here," Nicholas M. Luccketti, an archaeologist with the FIrst Colony Foundation, said.
The Roanoke Colony was established on an island in 1587 by about 100 immigrants from England, led by John White. This is where Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World, drew her first breath. Dare county is named for her.
Virginia Dare and every other Roanoke colonist vanished off the face of the Earth shortly after their arrival. White sailed back to England for supplies. When he returned to the colony, it was gone. The colonists left behind only two clues: "Croatoan" carved into a fence post, and the letters "CRO" carved in a tree, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
Researchers have discovered artifacts at two different sites that may show exactly what happened to these "lost" New World settlers.
Archaeology teams have unearthed shards of pottery, the remains of flintlock weapons, copper tubes and metal hooks. Findings at the two sites match the time period of the colony, and tell a story of their own. The scientists believe the Roanoke colonists left their island to live with a Native American tribe farther inland, according to The Daily Mail.
If that's the case, the ancestors of Virginia Dare may still be alive and well and living in America. Maybe the Roanoke Colony was never really lost at all.
