My Autobiography

Bifur

Hello! This is the obligatory part of every web page where the author has to tell a little (or a lot) about themselves. My name is Michael J. Miller, I just graduated from Louisville High School. I'm attending The College of Wooster double majoring in Archaeology and Geology. I spent the past 2 months living in a tent atop a limestone bluff and wading/hiking through a cypress swamp and slough this summer in Florence, Alabama excavating at Dust Cave with the University of Alabama. It was an intense archaeological experience and I loved it! The deposits in the cave date back to 10,500 BP - 5,200 BP and are classed through Late Paleo - Middle Archaic. Preservation was great and we were finding everything, even nutshell (not carbonized) that was 9,000 years old. My new research is entitled: Determination of Early and Late Stage Lithic Biface Use in The Early Side Notched Component at Dust Cave: A Microwear Analysis. It will be published by the University of Alabama in September along with several other projects by student researchers.

The summers of 1996 and 1997 I worked at The Center for American Archeology - Kampsville, Illinois.

During that time, I attended Tim Dillard’s flintknapping class, expanding my knowledge on stone tool manufacturing processes futher. After Tim’s class, Harry Murphy (Director of Education) had me working for the CAA doing tool maintenance and other unfun archy preparation stuff. But, hey it was my first actual job (as in work) doing archaeology. (I’ve already done lectures and presentations at other local archaeology meetings here in Ohio) Then for the next six weeks, I was a docent during the National Science Foundation-Young Scholars Program. This position included helping in the mentoring and supervising of approximately 40 high school students with a potential interest of archaeology.

On a subject other than Kampsville, how did I get interested in Archaeology you ask?

My start in the sciences began in geology. I was an avid rock and fossil collector in my early youth. I would collect from local creeks and mainly in my grandparents backyard. The field in the rear of their property was regularly plowed and planted. I would collect quartz, feldspar, flint, etc. I first became interested in archaeology when I found my first projectile point. It was a small arrow point made of a white chert and dated back to ca. A.D. 500. I continued collecting and cataloging of artifacts while documenting my sites with the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. To date I have identified and registered fourteen separate sites. Several date back to the Archaic, three being multicultural and one with established Paleo artifactual remains. The amassed assemblage of the Frank site (33ST704-21) is over 5,000 pieces. I have arranged for further study of the cultural materials, collected on the Frank site, by College of Wooster undergraduates majoring in archaeology and geology.

My father (The big man Mr. Lucky) has been my mentor and the backbone of my research and studies. Without his support and funding my education and life would be as dull as an Acheulean hand ax. Click here if you want to know the story behind the nickname :-)

As you've probably guessed, I really enjoy archaeology. More recently in my exploits I placed Superior at State Science Day on April 18, 1998 with Phase II of my original research project: "An Experimental Study of Microwear Formation Among Modern and Prehistoric Stone Flake Tools". I also received the Ralph J. Bernhagen Memorial Award ($200) sponsored by The Ohio Geological Society and the University of Toledo’s Crystallography Research Award ($100) for an outstanding project related to the study of crystalline and ordered materials sponsored by The Ohio Crystallography Consortium.

Last summer in Kampsville I continued my research on microwear formation on stone tools. I compared modern stone tools to the prehistoric pieces.This analysis has lead to three instances where feature use and temporal affiliation have demonstrated spatial patterning.

My hobbies and interests are of a wide variety. I'm into prehistoric and experimental archaeology, stone technology, lithic analysis, smooth jazz (-: which you are listening to right now :-), museums, hiking, outdoors, and most importantly, science-type individuals!

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