Division Archaeologist to Speak at International Meeting in the Netherlands
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs archaeologist Craig Lukezic has been invited to speak at the Combined AT FORT and 9th Fortified Cities Expert Meeting that will take place in Utrecht, the Netherlands from Nov. 11 to 14, 2013. The meeting is being organized by the New Dutch Waterline, the lead partner in Atelier European Fortresses (AT FORT), a coalition of European historical organizations dedicated to preserving and adaptively re-using fortified heritage-sites across the continent.
In keeping with the meeting’s focus on historic fortifications, Lukezic will discuss the history of Fort Casimir which was established by the Dutch in 1651 in what is now New Castle, Del. During June 2012, Lukezic and a group of archaeologists conducted excavations to determine what, if any, archaeological remains of the fort still existed. Evidence gathered during the excavations appears to support earlier research that placed the site of the fort along the Delaware River on the city’s northeast side.
Lukezic has worked as an archaeologist for many years including service at the Virginia Department of Transportation and, since 2003, at the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in anthropology from the College of William and Mary. Lukezic currently serves as president of the Archaeological Society of Delaware and as an adjunct faculty member at Delaware State University.
During his work in the First State, Lukezic has led archaeological studies of several colonial forts from the period when the Swedes and Dutch controlled the Delaware Valley including Fort Casimir in New Castle and Fort Christina in Wilmington. He has also served in a leadership role in the organization of the 2013 New Sweden 375th Anniversary Conference which is slated for Nov. 8 to 10, 2013, and “The Early Colonial Delaware Valley—An Archaeological Symposium” which is held annually during May.