John Norman Miksic (born 29 October 1946) is an American-born archaeologist.
Biography
John Norman Miksic was born in Rochester, New York on 29 October 1946. His interest in archaeology began at an early age and inspired his future career as a historian and archaeologist. In 1968, he received a B.A. in Anthropology from
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
(Hanover, New Hampshire). He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia from 1968 to 1972 where he helped set up a farmers' cooperative and developed an irrigation system in the Bujang Valley in Kedah, before returning to the U.S. to earn an M.A. from the Department of International Affairs, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) in 1974.
In 1976, he was awarded a second M.A. from Cornell University's Department of Anthropology, followed by a Ph.D. in January 1979, during which time he was awarded the
Lauriston Sharp
Lauriston Sharp (March 24, 1907 – December 31, 1993) was a Goldwin Smith Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies at Cornell University. He was the first person appointed in anthropology at the university, and he created its Southeast A ...
Award for Best Ph.D Dissertation in the Southeast Asian Studies Program in 1978. Upon graduation, Miksic worked for USAID as a Rural Development Advisor in Bengkulu for two years, and taught archaeological theory at
Gadjah Mada University
Gadjah Mada University ( jv, ꦈꦤꦶꦥ꦳ꦼꦂꦱꦶꦠꦱ꧀ꦓꦗꦃꦩꦢ; id, Universitas Gadjah Mada, abbreviated as UGM) is a Public university, public research university located in Sleman Regency, Sleman, Yogyakarta (special region) ...
, Yogyakarta for six years. In 1987 he moved to Singapore, where he joined the Department of History,
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
(NUS), and helped to found the Southeast Asian Studies Programme in 1991.
He was Head of the Archaeology Unit, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Unit, ISEAS 2010–2013, and was a member of the board of the
Center for Khmer Studies
The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS; km, មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលខេមរសិក្សា) is a private American Overseas Research Center working to promote research, teaching and public service in the social sciences, arts and humanities ...
based in Siem Reap, Cambodia for 15 years. He is currently emeritus professor, Department of Southeast Asian Studies (NUS) and a Senior Research Fellow under the School of Humanities,
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...
(NTU).
He has also taught at various centres including archaeological field schools, the
University of Yangon
'')
, mottoeng = There's no friend like wisdom.
, established =
, type = Public
, rector = Dr. Tin Mg Tun
, undergrad = 4194
, postgrad = 5748
, city = Kamayut 11041, Yangon
, state = Yangon Regio ...
's Department of Archaeology, the Center for Khmer Studies, and the
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute
The Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute (景德镇陶瓷大学), in Jingdezhen city in the Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China, is China's only institute of higher learning dedicated to the ceramic arts. The Jingdezhen area is historically ...
. His work is often described as both "impressive" and "inspirational" and has been described as having "performed a great service for the field, ... one hopes it will inspire future students to take up the study of ancient Southeast Asia."
His field work includes major archaeological work across the region including such world-renowned sites as
Borobudur in Indonesia, and more than a dozen sites in Singapore, including
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Empress Place, Parliament House and Singapore's
Padang.
Miksic has significantly impacted Singapore students as they are now learning that Singapore has a long and rich pre-Raffles history in the new history textbook for lower secondary school students that incorporates his findings and field work. He relocated permanently to Southeast Asia in 1979 and has been a resident of Singapore since 1987. He is married to Singaporean archaeologist Dr Goh Geok Yian (NTU).
Miksic has served on a large number of advisory boards and committees including the
Asian Cultural Council (New York City, 1981–87), the Lee Kong Chian Art Museum (1991–1993), the
National Museum of Singapore Development Committee (1990–1992), the Executive Committee of the Field School of Indonesian Archaeology (1989–1993), Book Review editor positions on the ''Journal of Southeast Asian Studies'' (1995–1999), the Council of the
Southeast Asian Ceramic Society The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) was founded in 1969 in Singapore. It is a member of the London-based Oriental Ceramic Society.
Description
The society was the inspiration of William Willetts who gathered together a small group of esta ...
since 1989 and President of the council from 2021 to present and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Yusuf Ishak Institute (2010–2013).
Sometimes referred to as "the
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
of Singapore's history," he has been cited as being one of the key figures who has changed historians' impressions of Southeast Asian history. As
C. M. Turnbull
Constance Mary Turnbull (9 February 1927 – 5 September 2008) was a British historian known for her work on Southeast Asian history, in particular on the history of Singapore. Her expertise on Singapore history and citations from her book ''The ...
of the University of Hong Kong wrote, the work of Miksic and his colleagues "will challenge historians to look at Singapore afresh in an attempt to re-unite twenty-first century Singapore with its distant past." He is perhaps best known for being the archaeologist who discovered archaeological evidence for Singapore's importance as an early major regional port, for literally "identifying it as a centre of commerce and culture in the 14th century." As a result of Miksic's years of research and work, Singapore schools revised their secondary school curriculum. He was the winner of the inaugural Singapore History Prize awarded in 2018 for his book ''Singapore and The Silk Road of the Sea, 1300-1800''.
Selected publications
A list of Miksic's publications, articles and conference papers may be downloaded as a .pdf fro
this site
e-Publications
* I Wayan Ardika and the Archaeology Study Program Team, Universitas Udayana. Edited and Translated from Indonesian by John N. Miksic. Archaeological Research at the Blanjong Site, Sanur, Bali. Singapore: Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre Archaeology Unit Archaeology Report Series No. 3. June 2016. https://www.iseas.edu.sg/images/pdf/archaeology_report_blanjong_ardika_final.pdf Pp. 50.
* John Miksic, ''Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports Singapore No. 1: The Singapore Cricket Club Excavation''. 20 February 2018 Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/7w0e-3n3c
* ''Team Projek Dieng 2010: Jurusan Arkeologi, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, and Universitas Gadjah Mada''. Translated by Goh Geok Yian and John N. Miksic. Editors: Mahirta Sasongko, Goh Geok Yian, Widya Nayati, and John N. Miksic. Dieng Temple Complex Excavation Report. Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/dieng DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/70d9-va60
* Goh Geok Yian & John N. Miksic, ''Myanmar-Singapore Archaeology Training Project (MSATP)''. Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports http://epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/msatp, DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/4vsn-x426
* Goh Geok Yian & John N. Miksic, ''The Colombo Court Site Report''. Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/colombo/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/304q-mx31
* Goh Geok Yian & John N. Miksic, S''ite Report on the Fort Canning Dig 2018'' (September 2 – November 4) and Two Subsequent Visits. Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports, epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/fortcanning/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/ngs9-h5qr
* Goh Geok Yian & John N. Miksic, ''The Fort Canning Spice Garden Site Report''. Southeast Asian Archaeological Site Reports, epress.nus.edu.sg/sitereports/spicegarden/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.25717/q0b4-byj0
Editored volumes
* Hasan M. Ambary, Halwany Michrob, and John N. Miksic. ''Katalogus Koleksi Data Arkeologi Banten'' (Catalogue of Sites, Monuments and Artifacts of Banten). Jakarta: Directorate for Protection and Development of Historical and Archaeological Heritage 1988 pp. xv, 1–92.
* ''Pusaka Art of Indonesia''. Singapore: Archipelago Press 1992.
rench Edition: Pusaka Arts d'Indonésie, Singapore: Les Éditions du Pacifique, 1994. ISBN 2-87868-015-7 utch edition: Pusaka: Indonesische Kunstschatten. Alphen aan den Rijn: Tripolis, 1994. ISBN 90-61130729-2* ''The Legacy of Majapahit''. Singapore: National Heritage Board, 1995. pp. 1–210. ISBN 9971-88-453-4
* ''Southeast Asia: A Past Regained''. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1995. ISBN 0-8094-9112-5
* ''Museum Treasures of Southeast Asia from the Collections of the National Museums of the Ten Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations''. Makati, Singapore: ArtPost Asia, 2002. ISBN 981-04-7589-6
* ''Earthenware in Southeast Asia''. Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2003. ISBN 9971-69-271-6
* John N. Miksic and Cheryl-Ann Low Mei Gek. ''Early Singapore 1300s–1819: Evidence in Maps, Text and Artefacts''. Singapore: Singapore History Museum, 2004. ISBN 981-05-0283-4.
* ''Karaton Surakarta''. Jakarta: Yayasan Pawiyatan Kabudayan Karaton Surakarta, 2004. Pp. 1–409. ISBN 9 789799 858603 Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2006. ISBN 981-261-226-2
* Retno Sulistianingsih Sitowati and John N. Miksic, ''Icons of Art: National Museum Jakarta''. Jakarta: BAB Publishing Indonesia, 2006. Pp. ISBN 979-8926-25-0 Second Edition: John N. Miksic, ''Icons of Art: National Museum Jakarta''. Jakarta: BAB Publishing Indonesia. ISBN 978-979-8926-25-9
* Dominik Bonatz, John Miksic, J. David Neidel, Mai Lin Tjoa Bonatz, Editors. ''From Distant Tales. Archaeology and Ethnohistory in the Highlands of Sumatra.'' Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2009. Pp. xiv, 509. ISBN(10) 1-4438-0497-5, ISBN (13): 978-4438-0497-4
* ''Southeast Asian Ceramics: New Light on Old Pottery''. Singapore: Southeast Asian Ceramic Society, 2009. ISBN 978-981-4260-13-8.
* ''Borobudur Majestic Mysterious Magnificent''. Yogyakarta: PT. (Persero) Taman Wisata Borobudur, Prambanan & Ratu Boko, 2010. ISBN 978-602-98279-0-3. US Edition: North Clarendon, Vermont: Periplus Editions – Tuttle Publishing. 978-979-89262-6-6. Review: Peter, Stephenson, ''Java Kini'', October 2011: p. 20.
* John N. Miksic, Geok Yian Goh, and Sue O'Connor, ''Rethinking Cultural Resource Management in Southeast Asia. Preservation, Development, and Neglect.'' London, New York: Anthem Press. 2011. ISBN 9780857283 894
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miksic, John N.
1946 births
Living people
Cornell University alumni
Ohio University alumni
Dartmouth College alumni
National University of Singapore faculty
American expatriate academics
Gadjah Mada University faculty
People from Rochester, New York
American archaeologists
20th-century archaeologists
21st-century archaeologists
American expatriates in Singapore
American expatriates in Indonesia