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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

Member for: 11 years 2 months

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Posts

Meteorite recovered from Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre.

7 January, 2016 - 21:45 aprilholloway

4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Recovered Before Being Washed Away as Heavy Rains Cause Rare Filling of Ancient Australian Lake

A meteorite that is older than Earth itself was recovered from Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre in South Australia, just hours before heavy rains would have washed away all trace of it. The retrieval of the...

The Roman sword found just off Oak Island.

7 January, 2016 - 00:42 aprilholloway

Unraveling the Origins of the Roman Sword Discovered Off Oak Island

Last month, we reported on the startling discovery of a Roman ceremonial sword off Oak Island , located on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, radically suggesting that ancient mariners visited...

The skeleton of a man believed to have been in his fifties was discovered near a gibbet used to execute criminals.

5 January, 2016 - 14:49 aprilholloway

600-Year-Old Skeleton found beneath Edinburgh School Playground thought to be Executed Pirate

Archaeologists have completed analyses on a 600-year-old skeleton found last year beneath a primary school playground in Edinburgh, Scotland, and believe it is the remains of a pirate or other...

27 December, 2015 - 14:24 aprilholloway

Top Ten Builds by the Ancients that Were Exposed in 2015: Stone Circles, Architecture, Petroglyphs, Fortresses and More

There is no doubt that our ancient ancestors were adept at creating beautiful and masterful structures. The features they managed to construct easily rival some of the most important works built...

26 December, 2015 - 14:31 aprilholloway

Top Ten Historical Health and Medical Discoveries of 2015

There is much more to archaeology than just learning about our past. The study of the ancient world has also led to astounding discoveries that may have real utility in the modern day. As well as...

25 December, 2015 - 14:22 aprilholloway

Top 10 Treasure, Artifact, and Valuable Finds of 2015

Silver, gold, jewels, and other precious belongings that were lost or forgotten with the passage of time… There were many luxurious artifacts discovered this year. Narrowing the list to ten cannot...

Main: Featured image: Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Inset: The Roman sword found in water just off the mysterious Oak Island, Nova Scotia.

17 December, 2015 - 02:56 aprilholloway

Roman Sword discovered off Oak Island radically suggests Ancient Mariners visited New World 1,000 years before Columbus

Researchers investigating the mysterious Oak Island, located on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, have made a startling announcement regarding the discovery of a Roman ceremonial sword and what...

Hanging coffins of the Bo people in China

15 December, 2015 - 21:51 aprilholloway

More than One Hundred Ancient Hanging Coffins Discovered in China

A cluster of 113 hanging coffins dating back 1,200 years have been discovered on cliff-faces and in caves in Zigui county, Hubei province, close to the site of the Three Gorges Dam in China. The...

15 December, 2015 - 14:52 aprilholloway

New discoveries redefine history of Angkor Wat

The temple of Angkor Wat was much larger and more complex than previously thought, University of Sydney archaeologists have discovered. The University of Sydney's Professor Roland Fletcher and Dr...

13 December, 2015 - 14:58 aprilholloway

DNA tests reveal rare golden horse buried in 2,000-year-old Chinese tomb

Archaeologists in China have carried out DNA tests on five horses found in a Western Han Dynasty tomb complex in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and discovered that one of the horses was a very rare...

The mummified remains of the 17th-century bishop, Peder Winstrup.

11 December, 2015 - 14:50 aprilholloway

17th Century Mummified Bishop Found with Fetus in his Coffin to be Reinterred

The mummified remains of a 17 th century bishop will be laid to rest once again at Lund Cathedral, Sweden, following 15 months of scientific study on his remains. The bishop caused a stir earlier...

The famous Stonehenge monument in Wiltshire, England.

7 December, 2015 - 03:36 aprilholloway

Startling New Evidence Suggests Stonehenge was First Built in Wales then Transported and Reconstructed 500 Years Later in England

Archaeologists have found the exact holes in a rocky outcrop in Wales from where the bluestones found at Stonehenge originated, revealing that they were quarried 500 years before they were assembled...