Researchers discover evidence in the mystery of America's 'Lost Colony'

Summary

Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at the Royal Agricultural University in the United Kingdom, spoke with Fox News Digital about his recent research that may reveal the fate of the Roanoke colonists. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A team of researchers believes they may have cracked one of America's most enduring legends: Where did the settlers of the Roanoke Colony go?The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was the first English settlement attempt in the United States. A group of over 100 colonists settled on North Carolina's Roanoke Island in 1587, led by Sir Walter Raleigh.John White, the governor of the colony, returned to England for supplies in 1587. When he came back to Roanoke Island in August 1590, he found the settlement mysteriously abandoned – and all the colonists, including his daughter Eleanor Dare and his granddaughter Virginia Dare, gone.DIVERS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS 2,500-YEAR-OLD SHIPWRECK, FILLED WITH UNUSUAL ARTIFACTS, OFF COAST OF SICILYOne of the only clues remaining at the site was the word "CROATOAN" carved into a palisade. It either referred to Croatoan Island, which is now called Hatteras Island, or the Croatoan Indians.The mystery has haunted Americans and Brits for the past four centuries, with several investigations launched into the matter. Whether the colonists were killed by Native Americans, starved to death or left for greener pastures has eluded historians. After 10 years of research, an archaeologist spoke with Fox News Digital about his team's discoveries related to the lost Roanoke Colony. (Mark Horton; Croatoan Archaeological Society)But new research suggests the colonists' fate may not have been tragic after all. Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at Royal Agricultural University in England, spoke with Fox News Digital about his findings."This is metal that has to be raised to a relatively high temperature … which, of course, [requires] technology that Native Americans at this period did not have." F...