Human-Dog Relationships at Jamestown Colony, Virginia, from Zooarchaeological Analyses

Abstract

Documentary evidence indicates dogs at Jamestown were famine food during the terrible winter of 1609–10 CE. This analysis highlights what these remains can tell us about the interactions between Native Virginians and European colonists, as well as early life in the fort for both colonists and dogs. This paper (1) documents the composition and taphonomic history of the dog remains, (2) determines animal body size and age, and (3) highlights the nature of human butchery. Our results indicate most Jamestown dogs have Indigenous ancestry, were primarily medium sized and younger in age, and served as a food source during the fort’s initial settlement.