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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.

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A page from the mysterious Voynich manuscript, which is undeciphered to this day.

Publisher Wins Rights to Publish Mysterious Ancient Manuscript that Has Never Been Deciphered

The enigmatic Voynich manuscript, an ancient text that has never been cracked despite more than a century of research, is set to be reproduced in its exact form. But if you want to get your hands on...
Main: 1,500-year-old tomb holding the coffin and skeleton of a woman named Farong, in Datong City, China. Inset: Two gold earrings were found beside Farong's skull in Datong City, China.

1,500-Year-Old Tomb Found in China with Incredible Golden Jewelry

A 1,500-year-old tomb unearthed in China was found to contain spectacular golden jewelry inlaid with gemstones and amethysts and a 5,000 bead necklace. A number of burials from the Northern Wei...
Main: An aerial photograph of Durrington Walls. In the North, West and South, a line of trees handily outlines the shape of the bank, a faint impression can be seen in the East, however, to the right of the road. The River Avon, and the area where the avenue connected it to Durrington Walls, can be seen in the bottom-right (pegasusarchive.org). Inset: An illustration of a similar wooden henge located at Cairnpapple Hill, Scotland.

Remnants of Gigantic Wooden Henge Found Two Miles from Stonehenge

Archaeologists carrying out excavations at the Durrington Walls earthworks, just two miles from the world-famous stone circle of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, have discovered evidence of an...
Ten Unsolved Ancient Archaeological Mysteries

Ten Unsolved Ancient Archaeological Mysteries

Over the years, Ancient Origins has reported on thousands of archaeological mysteries that have not yet been solved. Here we have chosen to highlight just ten of these ancient enigmas, from lost...
A gold curse tablet dating back to 4th century AD. Institute of Archaeology, Belgrade

Golden Curse Tablets Found in Ancient Serbian Tombs Invoke Gods and Demons

Archaeologists in Serbia have discovered the first known golden curse tablets in ancient Roman tombs in Serbia. The tablets contain inscriptions in long-forgotten languages with strange magical...
A model of the face of an adult female Homo erectus. Reconstruction by John Gurche, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Scientists Say A Mystery Species Bred with Ancient Humans in Distant Past

A new study of the genomes of Australasians has revealed sections of DNA that do not match any known hominin species. The dramatic findings mean that a mystery species bred with ancient humans in the...
A reconstruction of Pakal's tomb in the Museo Nacional de Antropología

Underground Tunnels Found Beneath Pakal Tomb in Maya Site of Palenque

Archaeologists at the world-renowned Maya site of Palenque in Mexico have made a surprising discovery beneath the Temple of Inscriptions, the impressive funerary monument built for Maya ruler Pakal...
A Paracas elongated skull and an artist’s impression based on a digital reconstruction.

New DNA Testing on 2,000-Year-Old Elongated Paracas Skulls Changes Known History

The elongated skulls of Paracas in Peru caused a stir in 2014 when a geneticist that carried out preliminary DNA testing reported that they have mitochondrial DNA “with mutations unknown in any human...
The elongated skull with stone encrusted teeth found in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

1,600-Year-Old Elongated Skull with Stone-Encrusted Teeth Found in Mexico Ruins

Archaeologists in Mexico have unearthed a remarkable burial in the ancient ruins of Teotihuacan containing a 1,600-year-old skeleton of an upper-class woman with an elongated skull, stone encrusted...
Bizarre Alien-Like Skull Unearthed in Korea was Naturally Formed

Bizarre Alien-Like Skull Unearthed in Korea was Naturally Formed

Archaeologists have unearthed an elongated skull in a grave belonging to the ancient Silla culture of Korea, which experts say was NOT deliberately flattened through the practice of cranial...
Underwater Castle

Russian Atlantis: Tomb Raider’s Invisible City of Kitezh was a REAL Place

In the action-adventure video game series Rise of the Tomb Raider , Lara Croft finds the remnants of a once powerful civilization and searches for the location of an artifact known as the Divine...
The magnificent ancient city of Petra, Jordan.

BREAKING NEWS: Enormous Monument Over 2,000 Years Old Discovered in Petra

Archaeologists in Jordan have made an incredible find at the World Heritage site of Petra. A massive ceremonial platform measuring 184ft (56m) by 161ft (49m), which ‘has no parallels’ in the ancient...
Pensioner finds 2,300-Year-Old Pure Gold Crown Under Bed

Pensioner finds 2,300-Year-Old Pure Gold Crown Under Bed

An elderly man was stunned when he discovered that a box of trinkets he inherited from his grandfather contained an ancient Greek crown made of pure gold that an auctioneer says is worth at least £...
The excavated tomb in Stagira that archaeologists say belongs to Aristotle

Archaeologists Claim to have Found Long Lost Tomb of Aristotle

Archaeologists in Greece made a surprising announcement today at the International Conference ‘Aristotle 2400 Years’ – the discovery of his long lost tomb. Following a 20-year excavation at the...
Carved and painted human mandible (jawbone) was found in a ceremonial area within a residential complex at the site of Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl in Mexico.

Jawbone Jewelry: Archaeologists Discover 1,300-Year-Old Painted Bone Pendants in Mexico

Archaeologists have unearthed painted human jawbones at a ceremonial site in Mexico associated with the ancient Zapotec civilization. It is believed the bones were worn as necklace pendants as part...
The stone sarcophagus containing the mummy of King Tut is seen in his underground tomb.

More Evidence Supports Claim Hidden Chamber in Tutankhamun Tomb Contains Another Burial

Last month, the Tourism Minister of Egypt Hisham Zaazou appeared to have slipped up during a visit to Spain when he said the hidden chamber being investigated in Tutankhamun’s tomb is “full of...

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