Soapstone is a remarkable rock While it is soft and very workable it is also durable and heat resistant and with a high heat storage capacity These properties have been recognised and valued around the world since prehistoric times and soapstone has been used for a multitude of purposes ranging from everyday household utensils to prestigious monuments and buildings This book addresses soapstone use in Norway and the North Atlantic region including Greenland Although the majority of the papers deal with the Iron Age and Middle Ages the book spans the Mesolithic to the early modern era It deals with themes related to quarries products and associated people and institutions in a broad context Recent years have seen a revival of basic archaeological and geological research into the procurement and use of stone resources With its authors drawn from the fields of archaeology geosciences and traditional crafts the anthology relects cross disciplinary work born of this revival