Archaeologists have found what could reveal the 400-year-old mystery of the "lost colony" on Roanoke Island in America, which haunted, among others, Stephen King, UNN writes with reference to the Daily Mail.
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Archaeologists have discovered new evidence that may indicate that the English settlers did not die, but joined the local Croatoan tribe.
This story began in 1587, when Governor John White brought 118 colonists - men, women and children - to Roanoke Island, now North Carolina. It was the first English colony in North America. The colonists faced food shortages, conflicts with natives, and harsh conditions.
Shortly after arriving, Virginia Dare was born - the first child of English colonists born in the New World. Her grandfather White went back to England for supplies, but due to the excitement during the attack of the Spanish Armada on England, he returned only three years later - in 1590. On the spot, he found an abandoned colony, with no traces of struggle. The only thing that remained was the word "CROATOAN" carved on a wooden pole.
This inscription suggested that the colonists could move to Hatteras Island - the modern name of the territory where friendly Croatoans lived. However, for centuries there have been various theories: from attacks by other tribes to death at sea or disease.
The legend has made its way into everything from Stephen King's story to American Horror Story and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the publication writes.
Now archaeologists Mark Horton and Scott Dawson, after more than 10 years of excavations on Hatteras Island, have discovered thousands of metal fragments - the so-called hammerscale, a by-product of blacksmithing. This technology was known to the English, but not to the natives, which may indicate the presence of colonists on the island.
In addition, European artifacts were found: a coin-like token, a decoration with the image of a Tudor rose and parts of a 16th-century sea chest. Historical sources also confirm that in the 1700s, explorer John Lawson met islanders with gray eyes who wore English clothes and knew Christian customs.
According to Dawson, the colonists simply left Roanoke between 1587 and 1590 and voluntarily integrated into the Croatoan community. "This is the end of the mystery," he emphasizes. However, like all good legends, this one will live on in culture, literature and film for a long time.