Native Americans inhabited locations along the Tar River from about 11,500 to 3000 years ago. More than 20 sites have been located along the stretch of river through Pitt and Edgecombe counties. Some sites contain only minimal remains, while others were intermittently occupied for several thousand years, with the oldest artifacts lying almost three feet below the ground surface in layered deposits. Recovered remains include pottery fragments, stone tools, and food remains. These artifacts suggest that river resources such as stone and riverine food were a major attraction for settlement. Although the exact nature of these occupations has not yet been determined, the early inhabitants of the Tar River appear to have lived in small family groups practicing a nomadic hunting and gathering way of life and moving in response to the seasonal availability of resources. These sites provide a glimpse into the past lifeways of some of the earliest inhabitants of what is now North Carolina.