"Carved in Stone: Prehistoric Soapstone Bowl Quarries of the Lower Susquehanna River Valley"
Henry Ward
Sunday, August 19th
2:00pm
Soldier's Delight NEA (PVSP) Visitor's Center
5100 Deer Park Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117

Prior to the development of pottery vessels, local prehistoric groups utilized natural outcroppings of steatite (soapstone), a type of naturally occurring soft stone that can be carved into effective cooking vessels. Quarries for this material occur at several locations in Northeast Maryland and Southeast Pennsylvania, including Baltimore, Howard, Harford, and Cecil Counties. Archaeological investigation at these local quarries has yielded interesting information on the geological setting, mineralogical content, raw material form, extraction/ manufacturing tools and finished vessel forms, that provide insights into the food preparation, trade/exchange and potential ritual use of these vessels in the period between approximately 4000-200 B.C.

Hosted by the Patapsco Valley State Park, Soldier's Delight NEA

Presenter: Henry Ward (WSP USA)
Henry Ward is a Senior Supervising Archaeologist and Cultural Resources Manager with WSP USA (previously Parsons Brinckerhoff), based in Baltimore City. He has 39 years professional experience conducting and managing archaeological investigations throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. As a long-time member of the Archaeological Society of Maryland and a graduate student at the University of Delaware, Henry has a research interest in the natural raw materials utilized by the region's prehistoric native groups, including the use of steatite (soapstone) cooking vessels.