the dwellings uncovered at tomotley provided some of the strongest evidence of non-overhill occupation. of the 19 structures uncovered at tomotley, one was octagonal (the council-house), and the rest were either square or rectangular in shape. the lack of circular structures was inconsistent with historical accounts of overhill cherokee dwellings, which typically consisted of a circular ("winter") house and a rectangular ("summer") house. archaeological investigations at overhill sites such as toqua, chota, and citico uncovered substantial evidence of circular structures. circular structures were not common among lower and valley towns. other evidence supporting occupation by refugees from these areas includes the ceramic material uncovered during the 1973-1974 excavations. the artifacts bore more similarities to middle and chickamauga cherokee (lower cherokee) ceramics than to overhill ceramics.