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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.

History

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Ha’amonga ‘a Maui

The Megalithic Gate of Ha-amonga a Maui

Scattered over 700,000 square kilometres in the southern Pacific Ocean are the Tonga islands. On one of the 176 islands that make up Tonga, there stands one of the strangest megalithic monuments in...
Bian Que

Ancient Chinese Medical Texts verified to belong to legendary Bian Que

Several days ago we reported on the discovery of 920 bamboo strips at an archaeological site in China containing recipes for treating ailments that date back 2,000 years. Archaeologists speculated...
Top Ten grisly Discoveries in 2013

Top ten grisly discoveries in archaeology

Archaeologists sometimes face the same gruesome discoveries that forensic scientists deal with today, having to unravel the stories behind brutal murders, sacrifices and other dark rituals. Here are...
stonehenge bones

Druids and archaeologists battle over display of human remains at Stonehenge

A heated debate is currently taking place between archaeologists, who insist that bones of ancient Britons buried near Stonehenge should be put on display in the new £27 million visitor centre, and a...
Mes Aynak

Top 5 ‘Ethical Victories’ for Archaeologists in 2013

We have already published the worst archaeological destructions for 2013 , which conveyed accounts of the decimation and destruction of a number of culturally rich and historically important sites...
Incan Mummies

Five heart-warming and heart-breaking archaeological discoveries

When describing the discovery of an ancient love letter placed upon the body of a loved one, Chris Scarre, head of the archaeology department at the University of Durham, said: “archaeologists who...
Lifestyle of Rich and Famous in Ancient Times

Lifestyles of the rich and famous in biblical times

The city of Caesarea, located on the Israeli coastal plain near the city of Hadera, is known for the lavish lifestyle of certain contemporary residents. But it is not just the rich and famous in...
Ancient Kedah

A race between ancient civilisation and development

The Bujang Valley, otherwise known as Lembah Bujang, is the richest archaeological site in the whole of Malaysia. Sprawling over an incredible 224 square kilometres, it is an ancient historical...
China Tomb Raiders

China tomb raiders rescued, then arrested

Two grave robbers ran into some bad luck on Monday when they became trapped in a burial chamber they were trying to rob and had to be rescued by police, who subsequently detained them. The pair was...
Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Army weapons were immensely powerful

In 1974, one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the world took place when more than 8000 life-size clay warriors were uncovered in Xi’an, China. They have become known as the ‘...
Seals and Amulets in Turkey

More than 600 Ancient Seals and Amulets Found

Archaeologists have uncovered an unusually large quantity of amulets, stamp seals and cylinder seals in an ancient sanctuary in Turkey, which date back from the 7 th to the 4 th centuries BC. The...
Chachapoyas Sarcophagi

Archaeologists may have found children’s cemetery belonging to ‘Warriors of the Clouds’

Last week we reported on the unique culture of the Chachapoyan people, a society of Andean people living in the cloud forests of the Amazonas region of present day Peru, otherwise known as the ‘...
Asklepion

Asklepion and the use of Dreams for curing diseases with the help of the Gods

In Ancient Greece, the god Asklepios (Asclepius) was a powerful god related to medicine who, according to the Greek mythology, had the power to bring people back from dead – a power that many ancient...
Hopi Flying Shields

Hopi Legends and the ‘Flying Shields’

The Hopituh Shi-nu-mu (Hopi) people are one of the Native American tribes, descendants of the Ancient Pueblo people that lived in the South West Area of the US which today is called Four Corners (The...
Scheria  & Phaeacians

The Mythic Scheria and the legendary Phaeacians

Scheria is a mythical place in ancient Greek mythology that was the home of the legendary and mysterious Phaeacians, who were known to be masters of the seas. The first reference to this place is...
Asyrian Tablet

Court decides that German museum has right to ancient artefact from Iraq

It is sad when common sense doesn’t prevail in simple matters like an ancient artefact that belongs to a country. Well, in this case the object of desire is a 3,000-year-old Assyrian gold tablet. The...

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