Dallas Phase is an archaeological phase

Archaeological phase

Archaeological phase and phasing refers to the logical reduction of contexts recorded during excavation to near contemporary archaeological horizons that represent a distinct "phase" of previous land use. These often but not always will be a representation of a former land surface or occupation...

, within the Mississippian III period, in the South Appalachia

Appalachia

Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...

n Geologic province

Geologic province

A geologic or geomorphic province is a spatial entity with common geologic or geomorphic attributes. A province may include a single dominant structural element such as a basin or a fold belt, or a number of contiguous related elements...

.

Geography

Dallas peoples moved into southwest Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 from northeastern Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 in the early 13th century. Dallas phase settlements ranged from Holston River

Holston River

The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...

 to Cobb Island, and up the Nolichucky River

Nolichucky River

The Nolichucky River is a major stream draining the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee. The river is long.-Hydrography:...

 and Little Pigeon Creek in Tennessee and along the Clinch River

Clinch River

The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...

 in Virginia.

Characteristics

The Dallas Phase settlements typically have one to three mound

Mound

A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...

s; however, some (40Un11 and 40An44) have no mounds at all. Their society was hierarchical and is characterized by distinctions between nobles and commoners in burial practices. Elites were buried in mounds, unlike the remaining population. Artifacts included shell gorget

Shell gorget

A shell gorget is a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated ....

s, ear pins, and beads.

Dallas peoples built "large log houses." Their towns had central plazas, surrounded by winter and summer homes.

Ceramics

Dallas Ware pottery was tempered with mussel shells and featured lugs, incised decoration, notched fillets, and strap handles. Two distinct styles were Dallas Plain and Dallas Cordmarked.

Sites

Dallas Phase sites include the following:

• Fain's Island (40JE1), Jefferson County, Tennessee
  Jefferson County, Tennessee
  *...
  
  
• Cox Site
  Cox Site
  The Cox Site is an Middle Fort Ancient culture archaeological site located in Woodford County, Kentucky, in the Bluegrass region of the state. The site is located on a large ridge and is approximately by , although there may be other unexplored sections to the north....
  
   (40AN19), Anderson County, Tennessee
  Anderson County, Tennessee
  Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
  
• David Davis Site (40HA301), Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
  
  
• Hixon Site (40HA3), Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County, Tennessee
  Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
  
  
• DeArmond Site (40RE12), Roane County, Tennessee
• Toqua
  Toqua (Tennessee)
  Toqua is a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Monroe County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. Along with the Overhill Cherokee village for which the site was named, Toqua was home to a substantial pre-Cherokee town that thrived during the Mississippian period...
  
   (40MR6), Monroe County, Tennessee
• Bussell Island
  Bussell Island
  Bussell Island, formerly Lenoir Island, is an island located at the mouth of the Little Tennessee River near the U.S. city of Lenoir City, Tennessee. The island was inhabited by various Native American cultures for thousands of years before the arrival of early European explorers, and is currently...
  
   (40LD17), Loudon County, Tennessee
• Henderson Site (40SV4), Sevier County, Tennessee
  Sevier County, Tennessee
  Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
  
  
• McMahan Indian Mounds (40SV1), Sevier County, Tennessee
  Sevier County, Tennessee
  Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
  
  
• Chiaha
  Chiaha
  Chiaha was a horticultural Native American chiefdom located in the lower French Broad River valley in modern East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. They lived in raised structures within boundaries of several stable villages. These overlooked the fields of maize, beans, squash, and...
  
  , Jefferson County, Tennessee
  Jefferson County, Tennessee
  *...
  
  

Overhill Cherokee

Overhill Cherokee

The term Overhill Cherokee refers to the former Cherokee settlements located in what is now Tennessee in the southeastern United States. The name was given by 18th century European traders and explorers who had to cross the Appalachian Mountains to reach these settlements when traveling from...

 sites, such as Citico (40Mr7), Hiwassee Old Town (40Pk3), and Chilhowee

Chilhowee (Cherokee town)

Chilhowee was a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Blount County and Monroe County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States...

 (40Bt7) have Dallas Phase artifacts; however, the Dallas Phase is associated with ancestral Muscogee Creek peoples.

Dates

In the same region, the Hiwassee Island Phase ran from 1000–1250 CE, followed by Early Dallas from 1250–1450 CE. Late Dallas ranged from 1450–1650 CE, which was followed by the Overhill Cherokee and Mouse Creek Phases.