Last time I described my idea for my CHI fellowship project, an interactive timeline on Michigan’s Archaeological history. I have had plenty of time to play with this idea and test out several different means to try and get a functioning timeline on my web page. I think I have finally decided on using Timeglider JS, as it looks like it will allow me to create the pop-ups and interactivity I am looking for. Timeglider JS is a widget written in javascript that you use to create your timeline, then incorporate that into your web page. I’ve tested it with dates from 14,000 years ago up through the present, and even tested the interactivity to a point. I believe it will do everything I am hoping for.
Now that I have decided how I’m going to accomplish my project, the next step is to accumulate the information to put into it. During the coming semester, I am going to start compiling archaeological information on important sites and themes to include on my timeline, while figuring out how to best incorporate them into the timeline. Some of the major themes I am thinking of incorporating into the timeline include major environmental changes, faunal changes (i.e., demise of mammoths and mastodons), and then major technological changes (i.e., appearance of pottery, plant domestication, introduction of the bow and arrow).
While I can do this all on my own, I am also soliciting input from you all as well. What do you see as the most important themes in Michigan Archaeology that should be included? What are your favorite archaeological sites? What information do you think the general public would most benefit from having included? Let me know what you think!
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