Newly discovered human bones prove the first permanent British settlers in North America turned to cannibalism over the cruel winter of 1609, US researchers have said.
Scientists found unusual cuts consistent with butchering for meat on human bones dumped in a rubbish pit.
The four-century-old skull and tibia of a teenage girl in James Fort, Virginia, was excavated from the dump last year.
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The Starvation Time was one of the most horrific periods of early colonial history when the first settlers took refuge in Fort James. They were under siege from Indian attacks and had insufficient food to last the winter.
First they ate their horses, then dogs, cats, rats, mice and snakes. Some, to satisfy their cruel hunger, ate the leather of their shoes.
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"It's somebody doing what they had to do," said Dr Doug Owsley.
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