Archeologists Find New Clues From 'Lost Colony' Of Roanoke

(Photo : National Park Service) Over 400 years after the disappearance of the colonists of Roanoke, archeologists have found pieces of pottery that may have belonged to a medicine maker from the “Lost Colony.”

Over 400 years after the disappearance of the colonists of Roanoke, archeologists have found pieces of pottery that may have belonged to a medicine maker from the "Lost Colony."

According to The Virginian-Pilot, the fragments, both about the size of quarters, were colored blue, white and brown. Archeologists believe that the area that fragments were found in used to be a 16th-century fort.

Expressing excitement, Eric Deetz, an archeologist with the First Colony Foundation, said, "that pottery had something to do with the Elizabethan presence on that island."

It's very exciting to see these cultural objects come out of the ground and every object does tell a story," said Jami Lanier, Cultural Resources Manager for The Outer Banks Group. "I think it's another piece of the puzzle that you can connect to the Raleigh colonies,"

The mystery of what happened to the "Lost Colony" settlers has plagued historians and researchers for hundreds of years. They disappeared in the late 16th century after English explorer Walter Raleigh sent groups to reside on at North Carolina's coast. The colonists disappeared three years after England sent a shipment of supplies.

"We don't know what happened to the colonists after their Governor left to return to England to secure supplies for them," Lanier commented. "It is probably America's greatest unsolved mystery, there are a lot of theories about what could have happened to the colonists."

Other relative artifacts from the "Lost Colony" have been found throughout the years. Each discovery offers a glimpse into the lives of the colonists, and archaeologists hope to uncover a clue that would reveal what exactly happened to them.

"What's there and what these objects can tell us. That's the most important value is the stories they can tell and they are pieces of the puzzle that can perhaps help solve the mystery," Lanier stated.