Shinbone: the large bone at the front of the leg between the knee and the ankle.

Archaeologists: study of remains (such as tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments) of past human life

Butchered: cut up

Portions of the butchered skull and shinbone of a 14-year-old girl from England, dubbed “Jane” by researchers, were unearthed by Jamestown archaeologists last year. They found the remains about 2.5 feet down in a 17th century trash deposit in the cellar (basement) of a building built in 1608 inside the James Fort site.

What evidence proves that Jane was likely a colonist at Jamestown?

anthropology: the study of humans

historical accounts: written records or stories told over generations

Kelso said he hadn't believed previous historical accounts regarding cannibalism at Jamestown. He thought the stories were politically motivated, intended to hurt the reputation of the Virginia Company—the stockholders who financed the Jamestown settlement.

"Now, I know the accounts are true," he said.

Since the excavation of James Fort began in 1994, the discovery is second only to the discovery of the fort, he added.

Why did Bill Kelso not believe cannibalism had really happened at Jamestown?

Owsley described multiple chop and cut marks on the girl’s skull that were made by one or more assailants after she died. “They were clearly interested in cheek meat, muscles of the face, tongue, and brain,” he said. Jane’s hair was not removed.

Based on the reading above, did her body receive the injuries before or after she died?

One of the foremost forensic anthropologists in the world, Owsley has analyzed numerous skeletal remains of prehistoric people who were victims of cannibalism. Their bones were similar to Jane's in that they had cut marks and were splintered and fragmented, he said.

How did studying prehistoric people help Owsley determine Jane was a victim of cannibalism?

Four closely spaced chop marks in her forehead indicated a failed attempt to split her skull open, Owsley said. The close proximity of the unsuccessful blows indicates that she was already dead, or they would have been more haphazard, he explained.

The back of her skull was then cracked open by a series of chops by a light weight axe or cleaver, he said.

Cleaver blades and knives excavated from the Jamestown site were compared to the blows, and Owsley said he thinks a cleaver was used.

Which of the following statements is FALSE.

hesitancy: no wanting to do something

There were also numerous cuts, saw marks, and gouges along her lower jaw made by the tip of a knife to get to the meat, and to remove throat tissue and the tongue, he said.

Owsley said the cutting was not done by an experienced butcher. “There is a hesitancy and trial (practice) and in the marks that is not seen in animal butchery,” he said.

“The desperation and overwhelming circumstances faced by the James Fort colonists during the winter of 1609-1610 are reflected in the postmortem treatment of this girl’s body,” Owsley added.

True or False: The injuries on Jane were mostly likely done by an amateur who was not used to doing things like this.

Since only ten percent of Jane’s skeleton has been recovered, researchers have not been able to tell much about her story, but they do know by examining her shinbone that she was 14 years old.

Based on isotope studies of her third molar, the high nitrogen content meant Jane may have been from a high-status family or served as their maid.

Elevated nitrogen levels indicate that she ate a lot of protein, which was scarce and expensive, said Kari Bruwlheide, a physical anthropologist at the Smithsonian who works with Owsley.

Based on the studies of her remains, which of the following is true about Jane before she came to Jamestown? (Read each answer choice carefully and refer to the text)

Researchers also know that she was probably from the southern coast of England, based on a comparison of oxygen isotopes in her tooth and oxygen isotopes found in groundwater samples from the area. The water she consumed while her permanent teeth were forming during infancy helps to pinpoint where she was born.

A study of the carbon isotopes in her bones indicated she was eating a mostly European diet, which means that Jane had not been in Jamestown for long before her death, Bruwelheide said.

How were researchers able to determine she was from England?

George Percy is the leader who took over after John Smith was injured.

George Percy later wrote in his account of Jamestowne: "And now famine beginning to look ghastly and pale in every face that nothing was spared to maintain life and to do those things which seem incredible, as to dig up dead corpse out of graves and to eat them, and some have licked up the blood which hath fallen from their weak fellows."

True or False: Percy's writing tells us that The Starving Time wasn't all that bad.