Bones bring U.S. colonial times back to life: Smithsonian exhibit sheds light on what earliest settlers experienced

(AP) - It is a tale of toil, starvation and death, set forth in messages from the grave.
The saga of life in 17th century America — "Written in Bone" — goes on display Saturday at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Some 340 objects, including artifacts and human bones, are on display for two years, with discussions of how cold cases from colonial times shed light on what life was like for some of the earliest English and Africans to settle in America. Continued

Photo: Ruins of old church at Jamestown (Library of Congress)