The class of 1985, Maple Woods Community College, digging along the roadway in the park where the Mayor at the time had predicted the road would be widened. The widening project would not actually take place until 2009- 24 years later!
The monument is in clear view in the background and the work began.
The photo shows me working in an especially rich area after class had ended. This square would not only end up being the richest part found, but would also end the excavations.
This photo was taken just to the left of the monument. You can see my main assistant, Steve Lamkins removing mud after a recent rain and then excavating.
=========================================================================================
KING TUT'S DISEASE AND WHAT HAPPENED
It was July of 1991. Back then, it was common for me and my assistant Steve, to keep digging after class hours. In that pit, I contracted a form of "King Tut's Disease" from a rich pit. That ended my archaeological career. I inhaled a 2,000 year old enzyme that had laid dormant for 2,000 years. All it took for the enzyme to become active; was for me to inhale it where it had water and oxygen. It only took about 30 minutes for the enzyme to start shutting down all my main plumbing. I had blamed it on a Sonic chili dog, but within an hour I was peeing blood and had a temp of 106'. My wife, Mary (at the time), rushed me to the hospital where she was told if I was there 30 minutes later, it would have been too late. I do remember having strange dreams and visions and ended up writing a screenplay about it. I don't remember breathing the dust and don't remember much at the hospital. I do know I was there for 14 days and it was a month later before they figured it out.
When I arrived at the hospital, the doctors sent me naked to the morgue; which was the only chilled place with metal tables. They packed me in ice under my arm pits, my neck and my groin. At some point I do remember waking up there and looked around seeing at least one dead person who had no ice. It was definately a "come to Jesus" moment as I laid back down and passed out for probably 2 more days.
Today, I'm one of like 5 people who have contracted a 2,000 year old enzyme and survived. It's still in my lung in a dormant state and is a little larger than a BB. I have it check often as these things tend to cause cancer. Other than that, It has left me with 20% failure in my right lung. I'm the only person in the world who came in contact with a living thing from the Hopewell Period and still have it in the safest place it can be - my right lung. Some of those enzymes were indentified as: Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.
Just a note about King Tut's Disease. That term is a very generic term and has nothing to do with some crazy curse or King Tut. It is based on Howard Carter's team entering the tomb where most all died within a year or so. Medical evidence was not that advance then, certainly in Egypt, but it was believed they too inhaled dust containing an enzyme and was activated by the moisture when it hit their lungs. That enyzme was not there on purpose. I do know when I contracted it, I nearly died within hours and that's why the doctors called it King Tut's disease. The doctors didn't figure it out for 3 weeks after I was released from the hospital. I think about it everytime I take a breath or cough........ A former student sent me a medical description of King Tut's disease. Pseudomonads are important in the balance of nature and also in the economy
of human affairs. Pseudomonads are globally active in aerobic decomposition
and biodegradation, and hence, they play a key role in the carbon cycle.
Pseudomonas species are renowned for their abilities to degrade compounds
which are highly refractory to other organisms, including aliphatic and
aromatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, insecticides and other environmental
pollutants. Apparently, the only organic compounds that these pseudomonads
can't attack are teflon, styrofoam and one-carbon organic compounds
(methane, methanol, formaldehyde, etc.). Pseudomonads are also a regular
component of microbial food spoilage in the field, in the market place, and
in the home.
Unfortunately the dig was over that summer and the park continues and I still carry that ancient enzyme in my lung. Evidently, my lungs are made of teflon. Over the years since, I've broken the same 5 ribs twice on my left side and had a collapsed lung on the same side.
PHOTOS OF ARTIFACTS
Speartip made from a deer antler tip. The antler tine was carefully bored out to accept a shaft. The fact both ends are pointed remains a mystery, but suggests it was made to kill.
A image of a human figure made of clay. Found with the head broken off and is about 4" tall. It was made with no arms and apparently may have had legs at one point. To the upper right under what would have been the right arm, the maker left a thumbnail impression. The doll also has a belly button.
[insert scan] This is a scanned photo of a lithic tool kit. These two stones were made from the same core rock. The scraper on the left, fits into the left side of the knife on the right. These were found together in a dog burial found near the current gazebo.
This is a fish bone from most likely a gar fish which may have been used as a weaving needle. You can clearly see the hole and this example is one of a dozen just like it recovered.
An excellent example of a classic woodland spear point.
This is a pottery sherd from a bowl that was about the size of a 5 gallon bucket. The cross hatched rim is known as a Renner Cross Hatch. Besides decortation, some believe the cross hatching served the user to grasp the bowl better. Below that is stamping which may have been used by a half cut deer bone or something similar.
Another example of a typical spear. Remember, these aren't arrowheads. These were spear points. These people would never know of the bow and arrow.
This is commonly known as a scraper which were sometimes made from broken arrowheads. Scrapers were used to scrape hide off an animal such as a deer. Today, we call this tool, recycled.
This 2,000 year old deer antler was found in a Hopewell type storage pit about 6 feet under ground. The tines had been broken off at the time, probably as use for speartips or flaking tools. Because this antler was found at the bottom of the pit near a stone digging too, I feel it was used as a handle to dig the pit. Much like a common garden tool we use today.
Beautiful spearpoint.
This is a celt or we would know it more as a hammer and was sometimes used as an ax.
A fish hook made from a cross section of a leg bone from a deer. This is absolutely an amazing find in that it tells us several stories at the same time. A deer was killed. A tool from the deer was made and it caught a fish. Literally, pages could be written on this single find alone.
This is a piece of hemitite which was a rare stone that has a hole punched in it. It has vague designs on it that might mean something that we just don't know. We do know that with the hole, it was worn in some fashion. The shape is important in that it is in the color and somewhat in the shape of a human heart. Again, pages could be written on this stone alone.
This knife blade is about 8" long. We know it had other purposes other than just being a knife or it wouldn't have been flaked all the way around. There is the knife end and the other end may have been a scraper. It was most likely a multi purpose tool carried with a hunter, 2000 years ago.
This is a muscle shell that had been used as a digging tool. Possibly hafted to the deer antler. More imporantly, it tells us what the Missouri River was like then. Fragments of these shells are also found in pottery.
Known as a "pie" sherd. This is a rim sherd from a pottery fragment. This rim would have been a large bowl or vase. The closest thing we have to any written or artistic information, is most likely written in the pottery. I have no doubt the rim sherd designs mean or are say something to us.
This is the body of a pot. It is known as rocker marked where the artist rotated the bowl in one hand and produced the rocker marks with a bowl. Again, I'm sure they are sending a message to someone.
Another example of a rim sherd where I feel it's trying to speak to us. IF YOU STARE AT THIS AND THINK OF LOOKING AT EGYPTION HEIROGLYPHS, to me they look the same. These patterns were put here for a reason. All these pots had to do was carry water or whatever. They had nothing to do with funerals or the dead. They were simply a part of their day to day utilitarian use. I still think, it's telling us something we're just too stupid to understand.
A weaving needle made from a turkey bone. Evidence of weaving can clearly be seen near the tip. Again, this single bone tells us more. They killed a turkey, ate it and saved the bones. Somebody formed a bone into a needle. Somebody took the needle and wove something. They may have wove a deer skin jacket or some nice shoes......
This is a copper pin that is about 6" long and 1/4" in diameter. (ruler is off photo). The copper was originally beat into a sheet and then rolled and hammered into the shape of a pin. It was found in the same storage pit where in the photo you can only see my head (the King Tut pit).
This is a scanned fragment of a platform pipe. My digital camera won't do items this close up, but I'll get a better pic up as soon as I can. To the left, you can see the smoking hole that runs the rest of the way through the pipe. The hole you can see on the left is slightly larger than the the entrance hole you can't see on the right. Despite several attempts and although the pipe was probably broken by a plow, we couldn't find the other half.
A photo from the broken end of the pipe. What you can't see in either photos, is how polished this stone is. One has to admire how, with only primitive materials, could drill a hole through about 4" of stone. Most platform pipes had an effigy for at nearly at the bowl. We can only imagine what this may have looked like. The hole shows no signs of residue or is no blackened and otherwise, shows no signs of ever having been smoked. The hole, which would have been larger, was drilled from the smoking side of the pipe. That's amazing since the smoking side was made to taper to less than 1/8". Even with modern technology, it would be a task to drill a 1/4" hole through a tapered 1/8" piece.
An assortment of bone tools. The 9th through the 11th bones were highly polished from use. Most ranged from 4-5" in length.
A turtle shell fragment that has been drilled for possibly an ornament as there is no evidence of any other utilitarian purpose. The hole is off center as if this was not a carefully made piece and other than broken off the shell, it has no other modifications.
This appears to be a flaked effigy of possibly a buffalo? You can almost see it staring at you, but it is a piece that makes one think. Was this a tool? If so, what for? You can look at it sideways and upside down and it still looks like a buffalo. It is about 1.25" square. The only other flaked effigy found was that of an eagle which was found in the Line Creek bed near Line Creek Park. It was stolen from me while on display in 2002. That effigy was remarkable and was about 2" wide and 1" tall and very well crafted and may have been from the Mississippian period.