Craig J. Brown
PhD Student - Archaeology
Background
Craig J. Brown is a reformed accountant turned archaeologist and ethnohistorian. Craig received his AA in accounting in 1994, graduating with honors from New Hampshire Technical College in Laconia. He began writing New England colonial history and engaging in archaeology as an amateur in 1995. In 2002, Craig returned to college to study archaeology and anthropology. He graduated summa cum laude with a BA in anthropology from the University of New Hampshire in 2007, where his senior thesis consisted of research into the emergence of the Iron Age Broch Builders of Northern Scotland. Craig enrolled in the Masters in Historical Archaeology Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2008. He graduated in 2012 after completing his thesis involving the application of conflict archaeological theory and methods to the Battle of Chelsea Creek (May 27-28, 1775) as part of a research fellowship at the Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, directed by Victor Mastone. Until 2012, Craig worked as a field archaeologist for Crane and Morrison Archaeology, Freeport, Maine. From 2006 to 2014, he served as the Director for the Oyster River Environs Archaeology Project (OREAP) investigating the 17th century settlement of Oyster River Plantation (now Durham, NH). Craig is beginning his second year of PhD dissertation research. His project, titled "Rediscovering Lost Battlefields: Critical Applications of KOCOA in Western Europe 29 BC - 1745 AD," assesses KOCOA military terrain analysis as a locational and analytical tool in archaeological contexts diachronically across different site types. This work will be completed by 2018.
Qualifications
MA, BA, AAS, FSAScot
Responsibilities & affiliations
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Member of Historic Environment Scotland
Undergraduate teaching
June-July 2016 University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
Archaeological Consultant/ Assistant to Director – Facilitated and consulted on archaeological survey of historical sites in Durham Point area. Instructed new students in historical archaeological field survey methods.
April-March 2013 University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
Adjunct Lecturer – Substitute non-tenure teaching position, 2nd half, Spring Semester, for the following classes: ANTH 697 Special Topic: Heritage Management: Conflict and Consensus and ANTH 444 Lost Campus: Archaeology of UNH. Responsible for lectures, exams and final paper grading, final grades, and end of semester administration.
2006-2014 NH SCRAP – Oyster River Environs Archaeological Project, Durham, New Hampshire
Project Director/Senior Instructor – Develop, oversee, and provide hands-on instruction for students and public in modern historical archaeological field survey and excavation methods. Project investigates 17th Century European colonization and Native American interaction in coastal New Hampshire.
2008 Friends of Fort Knox Archaeological Field School, Prospect, Maine
Assistant to Director/ Instructor – Survey, assessment, and excavation of archaeological resources associated with Fort Knox, a third system coastal fortification build circa 1842. Project investigated temporary working structures used during the construction of Fort Knox. Assisted Project Director in providing hands-on instruction for students and public in historical archaeological field survey and excavation methods, as well as general site supervision.
Research summary
- Craig's PhD research is critically evaluating the use of KOCOA military terrain analysis as a locational and analytical tool for Conflict Archaeology diachronically across different site types. KOCOA is one of a suite of planning and analytical tools borrowed into Conflict Archaeology from the United States Army. KOCOA is an acronym denoting Key Terrain, Observation and Fields of Fire, Cover and Concealment, Obstacles, and Avenues of Approach. Essentially, KOCOA charcterizes terrain features based upon how they influence operations. Conflict Archaeologists are able to use KOCOA in tandem with a reconstruction of the historical terrain and modern maps to identify and locate defining terrain features critical to the selected battle. This is useful for analysing artifact distributions and for preservation planning purposes. The dissertation is titled "Rediscovering Lost Battlefields: Critical Applications of KOCOA in Western Europe 29 BC - 1745 AD" and includes case studies from the Battle of Prestonpans (1745), Siege of Edinburgh Castle (1571-1573), Battle of Nechtansmere (685), Burnswark Hillfort (c. 140) and Monte Bernorio Hillfort (c. 25 BC).
Current research interests
• Conflict Archaeology/ Conflict Studies • Ethnohistory • Iron Age and Roman Conquest Europe (Scotland Particularly) • Emerging/ Disintegrating Polities and Political Movements • Culture Contact, Colonialism, and Post-ColonialismPast research interests
• Environmental Archaeology (Zooarchaeology) • Maritime Archaeology • Historical Archaeology • 17th-18th Century North America and Europe • Reconstructing Economies, Subsistence and Diet • Norse Colonization of the North Atlantic • Material Culture2015 with Victor T. Mastone and Christopher V. Maio
“The Revolutionary War Battle of Chelsea Creek: Grounding The Historical Narrative Through Cultural Landscape Analysis” in Northeast Anthropology 83-84, 155-176.
2014 with Richard W. Lunt, Mark Greenly, and Peter Sablock
“Hard By The Water’s Edge: A Preliminary Report of the Darby Field Homestead-Bickford Garrison (27-ST-71) Excavations,” in The New Hampshire Archeologist, 54(1), 14-38.
2013 with Victor T. Mastone and Christopher V. Maio
“The Revolutionary War Battle America Forgot: Chelsea Creek, 27-28 May 1445,” in New England Quarterly, 86(3), 398-432.
2013 with Christopher V. Maio, David E. Tenenbaum, Victor T. Mastone, and Allen M. Gontz
“Application of geographic information technologies to historical landscape reconstruction and military terrain analysis of an American Revolution Battlefield: Preservation potential of historic lands in urbanized settings, Boston, Massachusetts, USA,” in Journal of Cultural Heritage, 14(4), 317-331.
2012 “The Battle of Chelsea Creek, May 27-28, 1775: KOCOA Military Terrain Analysis Applied To Heavily Urbanized And Coastal Marine Environments Boston, Chelsea, And Revere, Massachusetts,” Master’s Thesis, Ann Arbor: Pro Quest.
2011 with Victor T. Mastone and Christopher V. Maio
“Chelsea Creek – First Naval Engagement of the American Revolution,” Chelsea, East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop Suffolk County” Boston, MA: Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources. GA-2255-09-018.
2007 “The Brochs of Shetland: Iron Age Subsistence and the Development of an Elite Class. Manuscript on file, University of New Hampshire.
2007 with Pamela Crane and Peter Morrison
“The Field-Bickford Site in Durham, NH,” in New Hampshire Archaeological Society Newsletter, 23(2), 9-11.
2007 “Towers of the North: The Shetland Islands Broch as an Economic Nexus and Center of Power During the Middle Iron Age of Northern Scotland.” Manuscript on file, University of New Hampshire.
2004 with Gerald F. Bigelow and Robert Proctor
“Investigation of Archaeological Sites in the Vicinity of the Former Estate of Brow, Dunrossness, Shetland.” Gorham: Department of Geography – Anthropology, University of Southern Maine.
2003 “The Great Massacre of 1694: Understanding the Destruction of Oyster River Plantation,” in Karen L. T. Ackermann, editor, The Role of Native Americans in Military Engagements From the 17th Century to the 19th Century. Bowie: Heritage Books, 102-145.
2000 “The Great Massacre of 1694: Understanding the Destruction of Oyster River Plantation.” Web Publication. Ne-Do-Ba, www.avcnet.org/ne-do-ba.
1998 “Powder Raid Legend Rewritten,” in Rick Broussard, editor, The Greater Portsmouth Century. Nashua: Network Publications, Inc.: 62.
1998 “The Battle of Durham: How the War Was Won,” in New Hampshire Editions, November 1998, 23-27.
1998 “The Great Massacre of 1694: Understanding the Destruction of Oyster River Plantation,” Historical New Hampshire, 53(3 & 4), 69-90.
1998 with Sarah E. Brown
“Hannah Dustin: Hero or Villain?” The Telegram 10(39), November 12, 1998.
1998 “The Indian Murders of 1753: Franklin’s First Murder Mystery” The Telegram, 9(41), July 16, 1998.
August 2016 Monte Bernorio, Pomar de Valdivia, Palencia, Spain
Excavator (Volunteer, PhD Research) - University of Edinburgh Archaeological Field School. Excavation, survey, recording, and post-excavation processing of Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, and Spanish Civil finds and structures related to Monte Bernorio oppida hillfort. Particular attention paid to conflict contexts of Roman Conquest of hillfort and Spanish Civil War battle.
June-July 2016 University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
Archaeological Consultant/ Assistant to Director – Facilitated and consulted on archaeological survey of historical sites in Durham Point area. Instructed new students in historical archaeological field survey methods.
2006-2014 NH SCRAP – Oyster River Environs Archaeological Project, Durham, New Hampshire
Project Director - OREAP was a large-scale, multidisciplinary survey, assessment, and excavation project aimed at reconstructing the cultural history and land use patterns of the prehistoric and historic peoples who lived within the Oyster River and Lamprey River watersheds. The New Hampshire State conservation and Rescue Archaeology Program (SCRAP) sponsors OREAP. Responsible for facets of project: Establishment; Development; Excavation, Post-Excavation, Public Outreach, Financial, Logistics, and Instruction of seasonal field schools. Focused on Durham Point, Field-Bickford Garrison Site (circa 1637).
2004-2011 Crane & Morrison Archaeology, Freeport, Maine
Supervisor, Archaeologist - Surveys and evaluations related to compliance with Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Responsible for Phase I, II, and III site assessment and data recovery excavation. Recent work includes: Scottow’s Fort, Scarborough, Maine 2011; Perkin’s Grist Mill, Kennebunkport, Maine 2011; Goat Island Lighthouse, Kennebunkport, Maine 2010; Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook, Maine 2008; Cumberland & Oxford Canal Project, Westbrook, Maine 2006; Ballard Site, Augusta, Maine 2005; Waterville Riverfront Project, Waterville, Maine 2005.
2009-2011 Battle of Chelsea Creek Project, Boston, Massachusetts
Project Historian - Overshadowed by the iconic battles at Concord/Lexington and Bunker Hill, the Battle of Chelsea Creek (1775) is often overlooked as part of the siege of Boston. This multi-disciplinary study involved evaluation of documentary record, reconstruction of the historic landscape, a military terrain analysis (KOCOA), and a preliminary field investigation. This study was funded through a grant awarded by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (GA-2255-09-018). Liaison to MA Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources for UMass Boston Historical Archaeology Program. Responsible for the historical research, the KOCOA analysis, and assisted in archaeological assessment of potential sites. Co-authored final report.
2008 Friends of Fort Knox Archaeological Field School, Prospect, Maine
Assistant to the Director/ Instructor - Survey, assessment, and excavation of archaeological resources associated with Fort Knox, a third system coastal fortification build circa 1842. Project investigated temporary working structures used during the construction of Fort Knox. Assisted Project Director in providing hands-on instruction for students and public in historical archaeological field survey and excavation methods, as well as general site supervision.
2005-2006 Chadbourne Archaeology Project, South Berwick, Maine
Excavator (Volunteer) - Excavation of 1643 – 1690 Humphrey Chadbourne family homestead.
Project Director: Dr. Emerson Woods Baker II
2003-2005 Popham Colony Archaeological Project, Phippsburg, Maine
Excavator (Volunteer) - Excavation of the 1607-1608 Popham Colony, Fort St. George Site at the mouth of the Kennebec River. Project sponsored by the Maine State Museum, Augusta, Maine and the Peobody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts.
Project Director: Dr. Jeffrey P. Brain
2003-2004 House of Brow, Quendale, Dunrossness, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Excavator (Field School/ Volunteer) - Excavation of a medieval – 18th Century Laird’s estate and associated community. Complex was buried in a catastrophic sand blow during the early 1700’s. Co-authored interim report.
Project Director: Dr. Gerald F. Bigelow
2003 Old Scatness Broch, Dunrossness, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Excavator (Field School) - Multidisciplinary excavation of an Iron Age broch with associated roundhouse village and later Viking/Norse occupation. Bradford University Field School. Part of the University of Southern Maine contingent.
Project Director: Dr. Stephen J. Dockrill