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Written records refer to this period of the Jamestown colony as the "starving time." This clip reveals archaeological data and biological data from trees that support starvation as a reason for the demise of the colony.
 Play Video Clip A
Questions:
- What did the colonists expect to do for food? Why didn't that work?
- Describe some of the archaeological details that support starvation.
- How is dendrochronology (the science of tree-ring dating) used to support the starvation theory?
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Some claim that disease was mainly responsible for the deaths at Jamestown, with evidence pointing to two specific types of illness.
Play Video Clip B
Questions:
- What was the most likely source of illness for the settlers?
- What historical evidence supports illness as a major cause of death?
- What kind of scientific evidence is there in support of this theory?
- What are the two diseases that were most likely prevalent at Jamestown?
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Perhaps the colonists reduced their own population by killing each other off. There is some evidence of foul play within the colony of Jamestown present in a skeleton that was unearthed there.
Play Video Clip C-1
Questions:
- Describe conditions at Jamestown that indicated unrest among the colonists.
- What was the most likely cause of death for JR?
- What kind of forensics test support murder?
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Not only ballistics forensics, but also other physical and chemical evidence found in JR's skeleton reveals much about his story.
Play Video Clip C-2
Questions:
- What evidence indicates that JR was a young male?
- How was JR's social class determined?
- What kind of chemical test were performed and what information do those tests reveal?
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Not satisfied with the theories of starvation and disease as reason enough to explain the deaths at Jamestown, a pathologist presents yet another idea-deliberate poisoning.
Play Video Clip D-1
Questions:
- How did Hancock find evidence to support his theory?
- What would have been the source of arsenic for the colonists?
- How did Hancock use science to support his work?
- Does Hancock provide a motive for poisoning?
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Hancock's ideas about poisoning are not widely supported, but may have some merit.
Play Video Clip D-2
Questions:
- What is necessary for certain tests of arsenic?
- Why is the presence of arsenic in the bones considered inconclusive?
- How does Hancock expect to prove his ideas?
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