Accessory minerals: a provenancing tool for steatite quarries

Abstract Steatite has been a widely traded material across a range of archaeological contexts. Yet, challenges inherent to determining its provenance limits our understanding of the networks and mechanisms of its exchange. We present a robust new accessory mineral provenancing “fingerprint” method based their specific growth history. We use laser‐ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) to produce detailed trace‐element maps of minerals that reveal changes in the composition across individual crystals, which arose due to changes in their location‐specific growing conditions. Our case study presents results from Scandinavian steatite quarries that feature spinel and iron oxide accessory minerals.