“Cooking in a Pot” from Thomas Harriot’s A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, 1590
Tracy W. McGregor Library of American History, Special Collections (A 1590-
1634 .B79 GE)

(1) Vessel rim sherd, steatite, ca. 2500 - 500 BC

(2) Vessel, steatite, ca. 2500 - 500 BC On loan from Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson, Inc.

 

This fragment of soapstone (1) from Flowerdew Hundred was likely part of a Virginia Indian vessel that resembled this complete example (2). Soapstone, or steatite, has a soft surface that coastal Indians found could be easily mined and worked. These vessels date from the Transitional Late Archaic (2500-1200 BC) and Early Woodland Periods (1200-500 BC).

Research has enabled archaeologists to determine more about the function and origin of such vessels.

What was this vessel used for?

Archaeological experiments have investigated the thermal conductivity of soapstone bowls and discovered that they retain heat exceptionally well. The lack of soot residue on their exteriors also suggests they were used for indirect heating, or stone boiling, where hot stones taken directly from a fire were placed inside the vessel in order to heat water.  

The shape of the vessels, with their flat bottoms, wide mouths, and lug handles, indicate that Virginia Indians may have used them to prepare and serve food for important ritual ceremonies. Some soapstone vessels are found in caches and burials--additional evidence for this interpretation. However, archaeologists have also excavated soapstone bowls from domestic contexts such as middens, or trash pits. Analyses of residues from soapstone bowl interiors have found that they were used to process a variety of food, including grass, pine, and meat. The thermal properties of soapstone also make them ideal for boiling. Consequently, some scholars believe soapstone vessels were also used to prepare food for daily consumption. No one single function can be attributed to all these vessels. More research on fragments like this one is needed before archaeologists can answer such questions.

Where did this vessel come from?

This steatite fragment was excavated from Flowerdew Hundred, but no sources close to the site exist. Veins of soapstone run along the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains, primarily in the Piedmont. Interestingly, Charlottesville is located in the region containing the largest soapstone deposits in Virginia. Because soapstone outcrops do not occur along the coast, Indian groups in these areas must have acquired these items from interior groups. Archaeologists seeking to trace the movements of these vessels through Native exchange networks have turned to recent advances in chemical testing.

Archaeologist Chris Stevenson, in collaboration with Tom Klatka and Hector Neff, tested the chemical composition of quarries in Virginia and steatite vessels from various sites using a technique called Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). LA-ICP-MS enables researchers to measure the amounts of different elements present in a specimen, recording distinct chemical signatures of rocks from different regions. When the elemental composition of a soapstone artifact is similar to that of samples from a particular quarry, archaeologists can identify that quarry as the source. Testing this particular sherd could link the Native [MP2] inhabitants of Flowerdew Hundred with those in the Virginia Piedmont or in soapstone-rich areas as far north as New York or as far south as North Carolina.