All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Primary tabs

micki pistorius's picture

Dr Micki Pistorius

Micki Pistorius is a South African psychologist, author and journalist. As a child, Micki’s natural curiosity was cultivated by both her parents and developed into an insatiable interest in history, art and literature. Her passion for history, archaeology and human origins manifested at the age of sixteen when she selected these subjects at school. It has been a lifelong journey of discovery. After completing her BA degree, she worked as a journalist in printed and television media for 8 years, when she was elected in the University of Pretoria’s psychology programme. She completed her doctorate’s degree in psychology and was immediately appointed as psychological profiler in the South African Police Service. She founded and headed the Investigative Psychology Unit of the SAPS for 6 years. She testified as an expert witness in court. Besides training more than 300 South African detectives, Micki was invited to train detectives, correctional services staff, lawyers and judges on global platforms. She featured in many international television, magazine and news bulletins. After resigning from the SAPS, she returned to journalism and worked for a television production company, writing scripts and producing documentaries for a few years. Then she opened her private practice as psychologist. She continued training and presenting lectures on international podia. Micki never gave up on her calling as a writer and authored 7 books, and her autobiography, Catch me a Killer became a best seller. By 2010 her passion for ancient antiquity inspired her to enrol for an Honours degree in Biblical Archaeology. In her free time she explores archaeological sites all over the world. Micki has reached a point where she is drastically downsizing her psychology practice and shifting her focus to the flame that has been burning since her childhood: writing about archaeology, history and human origins on a permanent scale. She hopes to complete her Master’s degree in archaeology and may one day retire on an island where she will continue writing.

History

Member for
6 years 4 months
Opt-in to Ancient Origins Newsletter (AC): 
No

Posts

Facade of Temple (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Hatra, Iraqi Sanctuary Of Deities Withstanding Assault Over 2,000 Years

The ruins of Hatra, located 290 kilometers (180 miles) northwest of modern Baghdad, tell the story of a second century AD Kingdom, whose rulers walked hand-in-hand with the reigning Arsacid Dynasty...
Arte Alhambra (Rumomo / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Islamic Umayyad Dynastic Influence In Iraq

When Europe was experiencing the so-called dark Middle Ages, during the seventh and eighth centuries AD, in the East, Islam was on the rise, and the Umayyad Dynasty was on the forefront of conquering...
Fortress of Al-Ukhaidir or Abbasid palace of Ukhaider in Iraq. Panoramic view from the ramparts ( Janos / Adobe Stock)

Ukhaidir and Samarra: Architectural Legacy Of The Abbasid Dynasty

The Abbasid Dynasty, founded by Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah in 750 AD, marked a significant transition in the Islamic world. It succeeded the Umayyad Caliphate and shifted the Islamic capital from...
Taq-e Kasra at Ctesiphon, Iraq (Анастасия Смирнова/Adobe Stock)

Seleucia And Ctesiphon, Opposite Jewels On the Banks Of The Tigris

On the banks of the Tigris river, not far from the confluence of the Tigris and Diyala rivers, about 35 kilometers (21 miles) southeast of Baghdad, lie the ruins of two ancient cities, who once...
Archaeologist Dr Van Ess speculate a third of Uruk was covered in gardens and canals on stead of streets were used. AI generated ( Rick / Adobe Stock)

Uruk: Ancient Civilization Archaeological Superstar Status

Uruk, in southern Iraq, has reached superstar status in the realm of archaeological excavations of ancient civilizations by delivering the Sumerian King Lists among the 5,000 cuneiform tablets...
AI Illustration of Eridu, close to the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Euphrates River ( Rick/ Adobe Stock)

Eridu and Ubaid: Temples of the God Enki and His Consort Ninhursag

Ancient Sumerian mythology tells that Eridu, considered one of the most southern of the settlements close to the Persian Gulf, was inhabited before the flood when, according to the Sumerian King list...
Sumerian City with ziggurat Water colour. (AlexaSokol83/ Adobe Stock)

Larsa: Cult City State Basking Under The Sumerian Sun

The fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur at end of the third millennium echoed over the land of Sumer, between the Tigris and Euphrates in ancient southern Mesopotamia and it opened the landscape for the...
Artist’s impression of ancient Ur on the Euphrates. (anibal / Adobe Stock)

Mesopotamia’s Ur, A City Of Ziggurat Temples, Royal Tombs And Death Pits

Where the Euphrates River once opened its mouth into the Persian Gulf, on the southern floodplain of Mesopotamia, lies Ur, dating from the Ubaid period, circa (6500 -3800 BC), and host to the...
Athenians on the beach of Marathon. Modern re-enactment of the battle (2011) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Marathon Greece: Nenikekamen, We Are Victorious!

‘ Nenikekmen / We are victorious ’ cried Pheidippides as he stumbled exhausted into Athens’ agora, after running over the mountain, to announce their victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon in...
Greece’s Rhamnous Coastal Port: Supreme Court Of Nemesis And Themis

Greece’s Rhamnous Coastal Port: Supreme Court Of Nemesis And Themis

Rhamnous on the east coast of Attica, overlooking the island of Euboea, was a deme of strategic importance to Athens during the sixth and fifth centuries BC, because it guarded the Euripus Strait,...
Sunset at Sounon and Poseidon (Cardaf/Adobe Stock) (Adobe Stock)

Greece’s East Attica In Antiquity: Playground Of Gods, Heroes And Heroines

The seductive scenery along the east coast of Attica in Greece overlooking the Aegean Sea, easily lures one back to an era when mythical gods and goddesses still claimed the land and implored their...
Temple of Winds in the ancient Agora, in Plaka district in Athens (vaios karalaios/ Adobe Stock)

The Greek And Roman Agoras In Athens

The word ‘Agora’ in ancient Greek means ‘market’ but the agora in a city-state or polis was much more than just a commercial hub , it was also the socio-political center, the verus locus social media...
Statue of Hera and Zeus at Panathenaic stadium, Athens. (Sean Wallace-Jones / Adobe Stock)

Ancient Olympia: Site Of The Sacred Hieros Gamos

Long before the Greek Olympic Games became the dominion of a male god, ancient symbolism was embedded in the Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage ceremony) practiced at Olympia, a sanctuary in a serene...
Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora, Greece (Voyagerix / Adobe Stock)

Magnificent Greek Orthodox Monasteries of Meteora, Suspended Between Heaven and Earth

Towering over the Thessalian Plain in Central Greece, is a majestic rock formation, called Meteora, meaning ‘elevated’ or ‘hanging from heaven’, where Eastern Orthodox monasteries literally cling to...
Ancient Edessa: Kizilkoyun Necropolis And The Villa Of The Amazons

Ancient Edessa: Kizilkoyun Necropolis And The Villa Of The Amazons

The Balıklıgöl basin, located today in the centre of modern Sanliurfa in Turkiye, was once the centre of Edessa, capitol of the Kingdom of Osroene, which declared its independence in 132 BC from the...
Top image: Charles Christian (center) doing the "Ratty thing" with the cast of the Fisher Theatre pantomime. Photo credit: Charles Christian / Urban Fantasist.

A Tribute to Author, Columnist and Friend, Charles Christian

It is with the great sadness that we have to take leave of one of our most appreciated Ancient Origins authors and Ancient Origins Magazine columnist, Charles Christian, who unexpectantly passed away...

Pages