Steatite Vessel Manufacture in Eastern North America

In temperate eastern North America, steatite vessels have an unusual distribution - widespread (ranging from New Brunswick, Canada to Louisiana) but apparently short-lived (approximately 1800 - 800 B.C.). Consequently, they have been of unusual interest to archaeologists and commonly used to date assemblages typologically. This study examines the veracity of this distribution and why steatite vessels display this distribution. Why did steatite vessel manufacture occur when and where it did?...