Boston city (regional capital), history - Pictures
In the Boston area, numerous Native American archaeological sites exist dating from 6000 to 4000 BC. By the time of contact with Europeans around AD 1600, the major Native American group in the area was the Massachuset group, made up of the Nonatum, Wessagunset, and Neponset peoples. These Native Americans survived by hunting, fishing, collecting shellfish, and growing crops on a small scale. They lived in villages and spoke a form of the Algonquian language.
The first recorded voyage from Europe to the area was an exploration of the New England coast by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. In 1605 and 1606 French explorer Samuel de Champlain charted the waters along the coast. In 1614 English captain John Smith explored Massachusetts Bay and noted the well-populated Native American villages. Europeans who came to the area introduced diseases that decimated the Native American population. In 1616 and 1617 the tribes in the Boston area were devastated by an epidemic with mortality rates as high as 80 or 90 percent. The dramatic loss of population crippled indigenous society and contributed to the destruction of the native culture of New England.
