Identified on John Smith’s Map of 1612, Paspahegh in James City County was one of the thirty districts of the Powhatan Chiefdom. Its 17th-century inhabitants were among the first Indians to establish contact with the Jamestown settlers. The earliest cultural evidence at the site dates from the Paleo Indian period (ca. 9,500-8,000 B.C.). Other intact deposits may help archaeologists learn about the cultural development of the Native Americans from the Middle Woodland (ca. 500 B. C.-A. D. 900) and Late Woodland/Contact (ca. A. D. 900-1646) periods. The site may also provide information about the Native American-European relations during the early colonial period. Archaeological discoveries at the Paspahegh Archaeological Site include postmolds associated with longhouse patterns, human burials, ceramics, stone tools, copper and shell ornaments, and textiles.