First English settlers in North America ate dogs, research says

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The first English settlers in North America ate indigenous dogs to survive during an intense period of starvation, archaeologists have discovered. Researchers uncovered the remains of six dogs of indigenous ancestry, and found that they were eaten by the settlers of the Virginia Company in Jamestown – the first permanent English settlement in North America. Map of butchery and impact marks across dog skeletons ) These dogs showed genomic evidence of Native American ancestry, sharing similarities with Hopewellian and Mississippian dogs from eastern North America. The butchered dog remains, according to scientists “unquestionably date to Jamestown’s Starving Time during the winter of 1609–1610.” Joint China-Central Asia archaeological work on ancient Silk Road yields results The latest research also reveals insights into the social dynamics between colonisers and Indigenous communities.