Settlement Patterns in Central Virginia Prehistory

This study will test several settlement pattern models that are based on the Middle Atlantic Piedmont, and evaluate other studies that have implications for settlement pattern studies in this region. Such a study requires regional data. This analysis is based on the Virginia Research Center for Archaeology site files for Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Goochland Counties. These counties span the Central Virginia Piedmont from the Blue Ridge Mountains to near the fall zone. They are bounded on the south by the James River, and the Rivanna River, one of the James's main tributaries, has its headwaters in Albemarle County and its mouth in Fluvanna County. This data allows no definitive conclusions, but it is suited to the study of long term change over a region. Thus, the conclusions of this analysis may help structure future research.