The late prehistoric occupation of the upper Dan drainage is assigned to the Dan River phase. Dan River sites are more numerous and many are substantially larger than contemporary sites in nearby drainages, suggesting a far greater regional population that resided in larger settlements (see distribution map). In fact, most alluvial bottoms within this drainage contain Dan River phase sites.
There is some evidence to suggest that early Dan River settlements were composed of small household clusters lacking formal internal arrangement. Excavations at one of these--the Leatherwood Creek site (44Hr1)--uncovered a small cluster of circular and rectangular houses, with associated storage pits and burials, scattered along a small (0.5 acre) sloping terrace of Leatherwood Creek. Excavations at the Powerplant site (31Rk5), another early site located on the Dan River, uncovered numerous pit features and suggest a linear pattern of households extending almost 700 ft along the terrace edge.
During the late Dan River phase (after c. 1300), large villages were established along the wide alluvial terraces of the Dan River and its major tributaries. This development probably is associated with increased population and intensification of maize agriculture. Investigations at three late village sites--Belmont (44Hr3), Koehler (44Hr6), and Lower Saratown (31Rk1)--indicate that these settlements were circular, palisaded villages that covered one to two acres and probably contained 15 to 25 households. Houses, with associated hearths, storage pits, and burials, were located along the interior of the palisade and surrounded an open central plaza. Given the number of Dan River phase sites that have been recorded, it is likely that several villages were occupied at the same time. The development of large, fortified communities by the fifteenth century may be partly related to the rise of Iroquois raiding into the Eastern Siouan heartland or increased village rivalries as good crop land became a more prized commodity.
