Jamestown, Virginia. The site of the first permanent English COLONY the Americas settled in 1607 and the home of the archaeological site "Historic Jamestowne" today. It has long been speculated that the harsh conditions faced by the colonists during the winter of 1609, often referred to as the "starving time," might have made them desperate enough to participate in the unthinkable, and perhaps even commit murder to do so.
Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown's Dark Winter, airing nationally Tuesday, November 24, 2015 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), follows archaeologists and forensic anthropologists as they excavate the early American COLONY to uncover a dark secret hidden for more than 400 years. Archaeologists have been excavating in Jamestown for more than 20 years. In April 2012, a team of Historic Jamestowne archeologists discovered something surprising in their excavation. In the trash layer of a cellar, among the butchered ANIMAL bones and household trash discarded by the Jamestown colonists, they found the mutilated skull and severed leg of a 14-year-old English girl dating back to 1609. What can these bones tell us about what really happened at Jamestown?"The major questions that occurred to me when I first saw the remains were why is it here? Why is it... in the trash?" said Dr. William Kelso, director of archaeological research at Jamestown. "The next question (was) well how did this person die? Who was this person?" Jamestown's Dark Winter goes in search of answers.
In the summer of 1609, a fleet of English ships sailed across the Atlantic headed for the American colony. This was the third expedition, a third emergency rescue mission to save Jamestown. Among the hundreds of passengers was the young girl whom the scientists named "Jane". Jane was one of the early settlers sent over to reestablish the fledgling COLONY founded two years earlier. Unfortunately, only a few of the ship's fleet actually survived the treacherous journey and most of the supplies they carried were ruined by the violent storms the fleet encountered.
Enduring the horrific voyage across the Atlantic, Jane arrived in the fall of 1609, just as the colonial president Captain John Smith was injured in a gunpowderThis program is among the full-length episodes that will be available for viewing after broadcast on SECRETS OF THE DEAD Online. Along with the extensive online video catalog, the series website provides resources for educators with lesson plans for middle school and high school teachers.
As one of PBS's ongoing limited primetime series, SECRETS OF THE DEAD is a perennial favorite among viewers, routinely ranking among the 10 most-watched series on public television. Currently in its 14th season, SECRETS OF THE DEAD continues its unique brand of archaeological sleuthing employing advances in investigative techniques, forensic Science and historical scholarship to offer new evidence about forgotten mysteries. SECRETS OF THE DEAD has received 10 CINE Golden Eagle Awards and six Emmy nominations, among numerous other awards.Image courtesy of PBS
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