All,

I just want to be clear that by "controversial" I simply meant that 
introducing cannibalism into the origin story of the American colonies 
is not going to happily be accepted by all. People eating people, 
especially at one of the hallowed centers of American history, will be 
controversial, no matter how good the science is. Indeed for some 
people, this will be one of those points where belief clashes with 
evidence. In those situations, evidence loses all too often. I can 
already see the critics deconstructing the evidence, much as has been 
done for human evolution (another point where belief and science 
collide). Even a suggestion that Kelso or Owsley did something 
"incorrect" will lead to all evidence being discounted. To be a bit of a 
conspiracy theorist, I even wonder if state school boards will discuss 
whether or not this should be taught in public classrooms. OK, I'm going 
a bit far here, but the point remains. It will be controversial, even if 
the science was perfectly executed and cannibalism is the best supported 
hypothesis.

And, although these two are respected authorities and the Smithsonian 
article is quite good, I look forward to the scholarly work where they 
lay out all of the evidence. My bet is that the science is good, but 
withhold judgement until I actually see it.

Cheers,
Ben Carter


On 5/2/2013 11:37 AM, scarlett wrote:
> I would say that this work goes well beyond simply confirming documentary sources.  This story paints an extraordinarily vivid picture of historical events in a way that nothing else has ever done before regarding the Starving Time at Jamestown.  I would say that this work, which combines historical, forensic, and archaeological evidence is exactly the kind of thing that historical archaeology is good at-- telling stories about past events with diverse source material to create richly textured understandings of the human experience.
>
> I hope to see the exhibit someday.
>
> Cheers,
> Tim
>
>
> On May 2, 2013, at 10:34 AM, sent wrote:
>
>> I don’t know about controversial- I trust the science and the professionals involved couldn't be more skilled.
>> The historical record has documented cannibalism so that was well known
>> This is just   good forensic proof.
>> If anything it will strengthen the validity of  historical primary  sources
>>
>> Conrad
>>
>> -----Original Message----- From: Benjamin Carter
>> Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 10:12 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Cannibalism at Jamestown
>>
>> All,
>>
>> This is one of  the most fascinating (and likely controversial)
>> headlines that I have seen in a while.
>>
>> http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Starving-Settlers-in-Jamestown-Colony-Resorted-to-Eating-A-Child-205472161.html#.UYJeNtSAAmE.email
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Ben Carter