Amateur Archaeologist Claims He Knows What Happened to the Members of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

The 'Lost Colony of Roanoke' has long been regarded as one of the biggest mysteries in American history. It all began in 1590, when an entire British colony disappeared from existence, according to Popular Mechanics. There were multiple speculations, one of them being that they were killed by an indigenous tribe. Recently, a pair of enthusiasts presented evidence that shed some light on the eventual fate of these colonists. 

The English colony in question was established in present-day North Carolina. Due to a supply shortage, the colony named Roanoke started facing problems. For aid, they sent a representative to Britain in 1587, but due to the ongoing conflict between England and Spain, it took three years for any help to reach the colony. The officials who had arrived to replenish the colony were shocked when they found nobody at the site. The whole group had been wiped out; the only thing that remained was a palisade with the word CROATOAN carved into it. Croatoan was the name of a nearby tribe.  

For centuries, pundits have been trying to solve the mystery of the Roanoke colony, according to the Daily Mail. Mark Horton and Scott Dawson are the latest to claim that they have solved the elusive question. Both amateur archaeologists claim that they have found evidence that indicates that the Roanoke colony assimilated with the Croatoan tribe. For a decade or so, both of them have been digging around Buxton, on Hatteras Island, the home of the Croatoan people. During this exploration, they have found large quantities of hammerscale in the soil. Examinations revealed that the items dated back to the 16th century.

Hammerscale is flakes of rusted metal, and the ones found on Hatteras Island were even smaller in size than a rice grain. These items are a byproduct of metal forging. Horton, who is also an archaeology professor at the U.K.'s Royal Agricultural University, believes these hammerscales are solid proof to assert that Britishers from Roanoke arrived and settled in Hatteras Island, because metal forging was not popular amongst natives. Back then, it was popular only amongst English settlers, which implies that Roanoke arrived with its knowledge, and the tribe as a whole possibly absorbed it. 

In the past, the pair had found coins and sword hilts, which were also speculated to have links with the Roanoke people. But, the findings were questioned, as according to other experts, they could have entered the Croatoan community through trade or even a passing settler. However, such extensive evidence of metal forging could not have just been given by some other party. For Horton, it was "smoking gun evidence" that Ronaoke came together with the Croatoan tribe. 

The pair further added that the evidence proves that the colony was never 'lost.' The whole thing was just a marketing gimmick by certain individuals to forge a sense of national identity amongst settlers in the United States. These individuals wanted to showcase that the natives were dangerous and had killed the Ronaoke people. It was their way of justifying the horrors that befell indigenous people during the Age of Jackson.