Ben joined the Wessex team in Scotland last November. He is fortunately at home with conflicting identities so being part of the Wessex team furthest from our head office in Salisbury, as well as being a terrestrial fieldwork archaeologist within the Coastal & Marine section, is not a problem.
Despite much of his archaeological experience being on, or more precisely just underneath, land he has spent much of his spare time working on sailing vessels, primarily in the mud-flats of North Kent. His research background is in maritime trade across the Indian Ocean, looking at diaspora communities and the mechanics of trade during the medieval period. The varied work at Wessex has allowed him to expand his understanding of trade networks throughout history, including researching Merchant Navy wrecks from World War II, and looking at the medieval Hanseatic League.
The move to Wessex has also given him an opportunity to improve his understanding of archaeology within the planning process, writing several desk-based assessments (DBAs), heritage statements and written scheme of investigation (WSIs) for projects across the UK. However, as the weather improves he is looking forward to getting out into the field again and wearing the rust off the shovel blade, with a number of interesting projects around southern Scotland lined up for the next few months.