Benjamin Ford is a historic and maritime archaeologist who conducts research in the Great Lakes and Pennsylvania.
Ben received his PhD in Anthropology from Texas A&M University through the Nautical Archaeology Program. He also has degrees from the College of William and Mary and the University of Cincinnati. He is the author or editor of five books, including The Shore is a Bridge: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Lake Ontario, which was innovative in its integration of marine and terrestrial archaeological survey techniques designed to analyze human interaction with the shore environment between 5000 B.P. and AD 1900.
He is currently studying the Revolutionary War-era site of Historic Hanna's Town through a combined analysis of existing collections and new excavations, as well as the late eighteenth-century site of Newport Village. He is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Archaeology Shipwreck Survey Team and is a member of the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board.
Ben has extensive experience in applied archaeology, working for the public and private sectors. His research interests include North American historical archaeology, maritime archaeology, maritime cultural landscapes, GIS, and spatial analysis in archaeology.
Ben teaches World Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Issues in Historic Preservation, Historical Artifact Analysis, Basic Archaeology, Contemporary Anthropology, Spatial Archaeology, Seminar in Cultural Resource Management, Archaeological Theory and Research Design, Archaeological Field School, and Voyages of Discovery.