When the Jamestown settlers first arrived in Virginia, they brought with them supplies and tools they believed they would need to start a new colony. While historical records indicate that these supplies included horses, new archaeological evidence reveals that another livestock staple was also present in the colony.
Through a new zooarchaeological analysis published in Scientific advances, The research team found that the settlers probably brought donkeys and horses with them. However, historical records do not include donkeys in the manifest and DNA analysis reveals that these donkeys did not originate in England.
Delving into the colony’s past, the research team has discovered the possible origin of the donkeys and what happened to them during that first tragic winter.
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Donkeys in Jamestown but not in the Manifesto
At the historic site of the Jamestown colony, which was first occupied by European settlers in the early 17th century, archaeologists have discovered a wealth of bones and artifacts, including horses and donkeys.
An illustration of a donkey in colonial Jamestown.
(Image credit: Paula Calle López, courtesy of Jamestown Rediscovery (Preservation Virginia))
What is puzzling about this is that the original ship’s manifest does not indicate that the donkeys were on board when they arrived at Jamestown, suggesting that they may have come from elsewhere. After closely examining the donkey bones, the team also noticed that there was evidence of wear, such as bridling, suggesting that settlers used these animals for work.
“There are no written records of donkeys in ship manifests and reports, but the evidence suggests that they were valued as reliable work animals,” said John Krigbaum, professor and chair of anthropology at the University of Florida, in a Press release.
What happened to the donkeys in Jamestown?
For this study, the research team analyzed bones, including teeth, from specimens identified as horses or donkeys from the site.
Using radiocarbon dating, the research team examined five teeth from the site and precisely dated the specimen as being born before the colony was founded in 1607, and likely died during the winter of 1609 to 1610, known as the “famine time.”
“They show that adult horses were eaten, slaughtered, and cooked or boiled, with most elements cut open to extract even the most minimal nutritional resources, including dental pulp,” the team wrote in their study.
While there are records of settlers consuming horses and other animals in the colony at the time, this new evidence may confirm that donkeys were probably also eaten during the “time of famine.”
Revealing the origins of the donkey
While radiocarbon dating of the teeth can pinpoint the time these donkeys were in Jamestown, these donkey teeth can also answer another pressing question: where did they come from if not England?
Using bone chemistry and ancient DNA analysis, the research team discovered that some of the donkeys likely originated in Africa and the Caribbean islands.
“The ancient DNA points to Iberia or West Africa, which is consistent with its isotopic signature, but the isotopic evidence is also consistent with Trinidad and Tobago, which is not far from the navigated route,” Krigbaum said in a press release.
The results of this study help give a better idea of how equids such as horses and donkeys were first transported to America. The team hopes to use these methods in other early European settlements in North America in the future.
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