Investigating the Origins of Steatite Vessels across the Viking Diaspora

• Main Authors: Forster, Amanda K., Jones, Richard E.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Edinburgh University Press 2023
• Subjects: Norway; Faroes
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474485821.003.0008

This chapter outlines scientific analysis, including that of rare earth element (REE) composition, that has been undertaken on steatite (soapstone) quarry samples and artefacts, demonstrating the potential for identifying landnám populations, distribution routes and understanding when and how new arrivals began to discover and utilise local resources as they settled the landscape. Over the last twenty years, two independent paths of study, one concerning the morphology/typology of soapstone artefacts, the other applying analytical techniques to determine provenance have combined into a single project, ‘Homeland to Home’. Several quarries in Shetland and in south-east Norway have been studied, as well as artefacts from Shetland, York, Orkney, Kaupang and the Faroes. Research is ongoing, but already there are tangible results with exciting implications: through determining the origins of soapstone vessels linked to landnám settlement sites, it is possible to map the origins of Norwegian pioneer groups across the region, and to add detail to the understanding of ongoing interactions between the Norwegian homeland and the Viking diaspora.