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John Black

Dr John (Ioannis) Syrigos initially began writing on Ancient Origins under the pen name John Black. He is both a co-owner and co-founder of Ancient Origins.

John is a computer & electrical engineer with a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, a lecturer, explorer and researcher.

He has a personal passion for Ancient History, Mythology, Anthropology and Astronomy and in his spare time he investigates these subjects in depth. John currently undertakes expeditions and research in remote areas of Ecuador, where he is currently based, but also throughout South America.

He has recently been involved in explorations of the Tayos Cave system in Ecuador, a legendary vast natural underground network of caves spanning many kilometers, very little of which has been officially explored, as well as La Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) in Colombia, and is particularly interested in the history and mythology of ancient sites as relayed by the local indigenous people of these regions.

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Judaculla Rock in Western North Carolina. Source: Onmountain / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Indecipherable Judaculla Rock

In the mountains of Jackson County in North Carolina lies a large mysterious rock covered in petroglyphs that have yet to be deciphered. For the Cherokee Indians, the rock and and surrounding area is...
Pyrrha and Deucalion by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, 1655.

Deucalion Myth – The Great Flood From Greece

Deucalion was the son of the last Titan (god), Prometheus . According to Hesiod , Prometheus and the god Zeus were in conflict. Prometheus was the one who, with the help of the Goddess Athena ,...
Evidence of ancient gambling is shown on this 540BC ceramic illustrating Achilles and Ajax playing dice.	Source: Nick Thompson / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Gods and Gambling in Ancient Greece

When you talk about gambling usually your mind goes to casinos, baccarat, roulette, lottery, dice etc. But have you ever thought about when or how gambling first originated? The fact is that some...
Mycenae, near Nafplio in Greece, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Source: Irina Rogova / Adobe Stock

Mycenae: The Ancient City Founded by Perseus

Strategically located between two Peloponnese hills in southern Greece , the fortified site of Mycenae has entered collective consciousness mainly due to its mention in Homer’s the Illiad and the...
Tell al-Sultan in Jericho is an archaeological site with remains dating back to 10,000 BC. Source: Robert Hoetink / Adobe Stock

The Ancient City of Jericho: The Oldest City in the World

Located in the Palestinian West Bank, Jericho’s claim to fame lies in being the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. Surrounded by springs, the city has attracted humans for thousands of...
Machu Picchu. Source: David / Adobe Stock

The Mysteries of Machu Picchu and Archaeological Obsession

Hidden away within the Andes, 2,430 meters (7,972 ft) above sea level, the Inca site of Machu Picchu near Cusco in Peru is often referred to as the lost city of the Incas. These days you couldn’t...
Ubaid Lizardmen Source: CC by SA 4.0

Ancient Reptilians: The Unanswered Mystery of the 7,000-Year-Old Ubaid Lizardmen

It is a commonly accepted view in mainstream archaeology that civilization started in ancient Mesopotamia with the great civilization of Sumer in what is now modern-day Iraq. However, at the...
Ahnenerbe: Nazi Secret Society and their Reinterpretation of History

Ahnenerbe: Nazi Secret Society and their Reinterpretation of History

Few know of the Ahnenerbe organization, a secret society created in 1935 by Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Wirth and Richard Walter Darre, even though the names may sound familiar. Herman Wirth was a...
The archaeological site of Delphi, Greece. Source: Sergii Figurnyi / Adobe Stock

Delphi, Centre of the World and Home to a Powerful Oracle

Situated in continental Greece on Mount Parnassus, Delphi was considered to be one of the most important cities of ancient Greece. It was believed to be home to the goddess Gaia, or Earth, and later...
Composite image of unidentified flying objects. Source: Author provided.

Unidentified Flying Objects – The Reality, the Cover-Up and the Truth

Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs as they are commonly known, have been witnessed by millions of people all over the world and have been recorded in history books, myths, legends and traditions...
536 was a year of climate cataclysm. Winter landscape by Caspar David Friedrich. Source: Public domain

Year of Darkness: The Climate Cataclysm of 536 You’ve Never Heard Of

During 536 the world was beset by a long winter. Dubbed “the year of darkness” in the New Scientist , temperatures plummeted and the sun was dimmed by a vast fog which blocked its rays from hitting...
Is time travel possible? Source: rolffimages / Adobe Stock

Time Travel: From Ancient Mythology to Modern Science

Time travel and time machines have been a topic of science fiction and countless movies for many decades. In fact, it appears that the possibility to travel in time, either into the future or into...
The Oppenheimer-Einstein report claims that alien UFOs on our planet is a fact known to the military. Source: ktsdesign / Adobe Stock

The Ancient History of UFOs and the Oppenheimer-Einstein Report

An unidentified flying object, or UFO, in its most general definition, is any apparent anomaly in the sky that is not identifiable as a known object or phenomenon. Although its definition encompasses...
The celestial phenomenon over the German city of Nuremberg on April 14, 1561, as printed in an illustrated news notice in the same month. Source: Public Domain

The Mysterious 1561 Nuremberg Event ‘UFO Battle’

It was in April 1561 when all residents of Nuremberg, Germany, came out of their houses to investigate mysterious lights and loud sounds. They watched the sky, in awe and fear as they witnessed what...
Minotaur

Myth of the Minotaur: The Making of a Monster

One of the most intriguing myths of ancient Greece is that of the Minotaur on the island of Crete, the bull-headed human-animal hybrid of Greek mythology. The story of the bestial Minotaur trapped in...
Prometheus gave humans fire in ancient Greek mythology

Human Origins According to Ancient Greek Mythology

Every culture has an explanation about how we got here. The ancient Greeks were no different. The dramatic story of the origins of humanity in Greek mythology involves love, pain, and a hefty dose of...

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