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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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Posts

Dog Domestication
15 November, 2013 - 06:25 johnblack

Study sheds new light on the origins of dogs

Dog domestication is not something new. According to a new DNA analysis , dog domestication has been shown to date back at least 30,000 years. The samples came from a diverse range of fossils from a...
Ancient Mesopotamia Amulet
15 November, 2013 - 01:01 johnblack

Ancient Mesopotamian Amulet found in Oman

An ancient amulet inscribed with cuneiform writing and dating back to the Mesopotamian civilization has been found during excavations in Dibbia, Musandam in Oman. It has been reported in the times of...
Mastema - Jubilees
11 November, 2013 - 11:02 johnblack

Mastema – The ‘Persecutor’ of God

Christian texts are full of controversies regarding actions of God which could be perceived as harsh, or even revengeful. These controversies are also extended to other Biblical figures/beings, for...
Archaeology and Money
7 November, 2013 - 23:09 johnblack

Spirituality and Alternative archaeology becoming a ‘profitable’ market

Just when we think that something is changing in our world, it becomes apparent that nothing is in fact changing at all, rather there is simply a shift from one side to the other. What we are...
Ancient Flutes in China
7 November, 2013 - 02:58 johnblack

9,000 year-old-flutes found in China

Researchers in China have discovered six complete ancient flutes made of bone belonging to the Neolithic period carbon dated to about 9,000 years old. Fragments of many more flutes were found in the...
Little Ice Age
5 November, 2013 - 04:17 johnblack

Scientists fear a new little Ice Age

Most of us know how global warming is becoming a threat and how we need to do something about this – and from this process a few have become billionaires from taxing countries, companies and people...
Chavin Culture
3 November, 2013 - 09:42 johnblack

3,000-year-old religious sanctuary discovered in Peru

During archaeological excavations in the Congona archaeological zone in Peru, archaeologists stumbled upon a sanctuary that predates the Incas and goes back to the Chavin culture. Researchers believe...
Plagues
2 November, 2013 - 04:40 johnblack

The mystery behind the plagues that have killed millions

If we take a close look into the history of humanity we will see that societies have never been undisturbed for a long period of time. It would be either wars or mysterious and unexplained plagues...
The Curse of Chorazin
1 November, 2013 - 10:11 johnblack

The ‘Cursed’ city of Chorazin

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I...
Hobbit - Homo Floresiensis
31 October, 2013 - 11:23 johnblack

Tracing ‘Hobbits’ DNA in modern humans

Homo Floresiensis or otherwise ‘Hobbit’ was a recently discovered dwarf-like human species of about 1 meter high that co-existed with other Homo sapiens about 12,000 years ago and then disappeared...
Unknown city in Gezer - Israel
31 October, 2013 - 07:32 johnblack

Unknown Canaanite City found in Israel

Tel el-Jeser (Gezer) is a Canaanite city at the foothills of Judaean Mountains. It is a biblical city strategically situated between Egypt and Mesopotamia which is associated with Joshua and Solomon...
LA Tar Pits
30 October, 2013 - 03:21 johnblack

A century of research and LA tar pits still have not revealed all their secrets

The LA Brea Tar Pits are a collection of tar pits in urban Los Angeles which contain the richest and most diverse collection of Ice Age fossils on record. Last year, the George C. Page Museum...
Old Flute in Germany - Origins of Music
28 October, 2013 - 09:12 johnblack

The Origin of Music

The origin of music itself is very difficult to determine because in all probability, it is likely to have begun with singing and clapping or beating the hands on different surfaces, for which there...
Viking 'Parliament' in Scotland
27 October, 2013 - 11:24 johnblack

Archaeologists Discover 1,000-year-old Viking 'Parliament' in Scotland

Archaeologists in Scotland have discovered an 11 th century Viking parliament underneath a parking lot in the town of Dingwall. It is a rare finding because most Viking assemblies took place in open-...
Nakavadra mountain
26 October, 2013 - 13:18 johnblack

The Creation Myth of Fiji and the Serpent God

The Serpent God plays an important role in many religions and myths from all over the World. However, most of the times its role is identified with that of Evil, even if the common denominator of the...
The Lost city of the Giants
25 October, 2013 - 07:54 johnblack

Have explorers in Ecuador found ‘Lost City of Giants'?

Last year, a team of explorers and researchers discovered what they believed to be an ancient pyramid complex in a remote area of the Ecuador Amazonian jungle, one not known to the general public...

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