Story highlights Evidence of original settlement found at archeological site on Burial Hill in Plymouth

Researchers discover pottery, musket balls, calf bones

(CNN) The discovery of a calf's remains, 17th-century pottery, musket balls and trade beads has led University of Massachusetts Boston researchers to believe they have located the elusive 1620 Plymouth settlement where the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving.

The evidence was found at an archaeological site on Burial Hill in Plymouth, which is believed to be the location of the first Pilgrim settlement, according to a report on the university's website. The settlement's exact location has long eluded precise identification.

Dr. Kathryn Ness, curator at the Plimoth Plantation museum, told CNN the discovery represents the first physical evidence of the early 400-year-old settlement.

"While there have been different excavations, it's kind of tricky because [the site] is in the middle of downtown Plymouth. So it makes it hard for archaeologists to excavate and where they're digging is right on the edge of a cemetery," Ness said.

The project is a collaboration of the university's Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research, the Plimoth Plantation and the Institute for New England Native American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

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