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April Holloway

April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. For privacy reasons, she has previously written on Ancient Origins under the pen name April Holloway, but is now choosing to use her real name, Joanna Gillan .

Joanna completed a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) degree in Australia and published research in the field of Educational Psychology. She has a rich and varied career, ranging from teaching children with autism in an early intervention program, owning and operating an online English teaching business, working as a research and project officer in the office of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and assistant in the office of Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as co-owning a website design and development company.

Joanna co-founded Ancient Origins with her husband Dr Ioannis Syrigos. Together they immersed themselves in their personal passion for ancient history, mythology and human origins.  She loves learning about and experiencing other cultures and has spent time living in Australia, UK, Greece, Ecuador and Ireland and travelling to hundreds of historic sites around the world.

Joanna has written over 1,000 articles for Ancient Origins, some of which have been mentioned in the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, The Guardian, Peru Weekly, International Business Times, Spiegel and The Daily Mail. She has contributed as a guest writer for other media organizations, including The Epoch Times and iSpectrum Magazine, and has been interviewed on historical subjects on ten radio shows, including the BBC. She has upcoming radio and TV appearances in Ireland on Newstalk and RTE’s Today Show.

History

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Posts

The 18-letter message running down the central groove of a Medieval sword. Credit: The British Museum.
9 August, 2015 - 21:34 aprilholloway

Medieval Sword contains Cryptic Code. British Library appeals for help to crack it.

In 1825, a mysterious double edged sword containing a cryptic code was found in the River Witham near Lincoln in England. The 13th century sword contains an enigmatic 18-letter message running down...
Men smoking pipes, Ottoman era, Turkey (Antiller / Flickr)
9 August, 2015 - 00:38 aprilholloway

Medicinal Use of Narcotics Unearthed at Ottoman Archaeological Site in Turkey

A team of archaeologists carrying out excavations at Kaman-Kalehoyuk in Turkey found evidence of the medicinal use of henbane seeds. The seeds, which were found in an old hearth, have therapeutic...
The mummified remains of Usermontu, Rosicrucian San Jose Museum
20 July, 2015 - 14:35 aprilholloway

Medical Mystery of Usermontu: Why the Discovery of 2,600-Year-Old Knee Screw Left Experts Dumbfounded

In 1971, the Rosicrucian Museum in California acquired a sealed ancient Egyptian coffin containing the well-preserved mummy of a high status Egyptian male. More than two decades later, a team of...
Tonina Pyramid, Largest Pyramid in Mexico
13 July, 2015 - 14:38 aprilholloway

Researchers confirm that recently discovered Tonina Pyramid is Largest Pyramid in Mexico

It was just over five years ago that researchers in Mexico discovered an enormous pyramid of the Maya civilization in Toniná, Chiapas. The fact that the pyramid had remained concealed under what was...
A photo of an ancient geoglyph in the shape of a llama found by Yamagata University researchers on the Nazca Plateau in Peru.
8 July, 2015 - 20:39 aprilholloway

Twenty Four more Ancient Geoglyphs Discovered in Nazca, Peru

In a surprising new discovery, researchers from the University of Yamagata in Japan have spotted 24 previously unknown geoglyphs in Peru’s famous Nazca Plateau, adding to the collection of hundreds...
7 July, 2015 - 14:33 aprilholloway

Wat Tilok Aram: The 500-Year-Old Underwater Temple of Thailand

Submerged beneath an artificial lake in Northern Thailand is a 500-year-old temple known as Wat Tilok Aram. A stone inscription records that King Tilokkarad commanded Chao San Hua, the King of Muang...
Gold earrings, two knives, a collection of shells, and ceramic containers were uncovered from a flooded Lambayeque tomb.
2 July, 2015 - 21:59 aprilholloway

DNA tests to unravel mystery of Peruvian priestess and burial companions

About 800 years ago, a high status Peruvian woman was buried with seven people and a llama. Some theorize that her burial companions were her relatives, while others maintain they were servants. Now...
Ancient ritual bath found beneath a home in Jerusalem
2 July, 2015 - 14:49 aprilholloway

Ancient ritual bath found beneath a home in Jerusalem

A 2,000-year-old ritual bath, known as a mikve, was found underneath a family’s living room floor in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, while they were undertaking renovations. The Israel Antiquities Authority (...
Ten Legendary Swords from the Ancient World
1 July, 2015 - 00:43 aprilholloway

Ten Legendary Swords from the Ancient World

Swords are not only weapons, but symbols of great power, used over the centuries as offerings, in ceremonies, for coronations, and as precious items for trade. Over the years, a number of swords have...
Rare gold sun disc from Stonehenge era
22 June, 2015 - 00:30 aprilholloway

Rare gold sun disc from Stonehenge era publicly revealed to mark solstice

To mark the 2015 summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, Wiltshire Museum in England publicly revealed for the first time an early Bronze Age sun disc that was crafted soon after the sarsen...
Ethiopian grave
8 June, 2015 - 14:43 aprilholloway

Amazing jewels and artifacts found in 2,000-year-old Ethiopian grave reveal link to Rome

A major excavation carried out in the ancient city of Aksum in northern Ethiopia has yielded stunning treasures from both the Roman empire and Aksumite kingdom, revealing a connection with the Romans...
A group of iron-age treasures buried around AD 50 along with their owner, housed in the City Museum and Art Gallery, Gloucester
21 May, 2015 - 14:41 aprilholloway

Is Celtic Birdlip Grave the Final Resting Place of Queen Boudicca?

Over a century ago, a group of workmen stumbled upon three ancient Celtic graves near Birdlip in Gloucestershire, England. The central grave contained the remains of a woman, along with a hoard of...
The dragon's head on the piece of metal fits into the mold found in 1870. Photo: Antje Wendt/Historiska museet.
20 May, 2015 - 13:35 aprilholloway

Archaeologists in Sweden unearth first Viking brooch piece depicting dragon head

Archaeologists carrying out excavations in the port of Birka, Sweden’s oldest town, have unearthed a tiny dragon head once used on a Viking brooch. The bronze relic matches the shape of a mold that...
Lady Mei’s brick tomb found in Nanjing, China.
14 May, 2015 - 18:00 aprilholloway

Stone Tablets found in Gold-Filled Chinese Tomb tell Remarkable Rags to Riches Tale

Two stone epitaphs found within a 500-year-old gold-filled tomb discovered in Nanjing, China, tell a remarkable story about the tomb owner, a woman named Lady Mei. According to the tablets, Lady Mei...
The mummified head of Egyptian pharaoh King Ahmose I, whose parents and grandparents were probably both sets of siblings.
12 May, 2015 - 21:16 aprilholloway

Study Presents Evidence of Extensive Inbreeding among Ancient Egyptian Royalty

A 2015 study revealed little variation in body height among Egyptian Pharaohs compared to the general population, signaling the presence of extensive inbreeding among the ancient Egyptian royalty...
The enigmatic archaic faces, found in large numbers over the Burrup are among the earliest rock art works in the region.
12 May, 2015 - 04:10 aprilholloway

Oldest and largest concentration of ancient rock art under threat from Australian Government

Australian Indigenous art is the oldest unbroken tradition of art in the world. It is so old in fact, that examples have been found that depict long extinct megafauna. One particular region, the...

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