Trade And Production of Steatite Vessels in New England

Summary

This research examines the trade and production of steatite vessels during the Archaic Period in New England. The study focuses specifically on a quarry Located in Barkhamsted, Connecticut where recent excavation has supplemented prior investigations from 1949 to 1951. The material from this site is located at Yale’s Peabody Museum and the archaeology lab at Central Connecticut State University. We also examine the artifact assemblages from other sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Along with the archaeological assemblages, this work looks at the geology and geography of Connecticut, to obtain a better understanding of how the environment provided the key resources that inhabitants exploited. Finally in order to examine the trade of vessels and utensils this research examines the geochemistry of steatite through XRF analysis to determine the sources of artifacts within New England. Using models proposed by Renfrew and Binford we propose an exchange system between areas in New England with and without a local source of steatite. The Study provides an examination of Archaic lifestyle along the Atlantic seaboard, with elements of both local and interregional interaction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20726