Journey with peace of mind as we handle every single detail of your trip for your utmost enjoyment.
Ancient Origins Tours is an integral part of Ancient Origins, the premier website worldwide in History and Archaeology. With an astonishing 3 million monthly page views and a robust social media presence of 1.5 million followers across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Ancient Origins stands unrivalled in its field.
In partnership with esteemed travel companies Spiekermann Travel and Travel the Unknown, Ancient Origins Tours is dedicated to surpassing your expectations in terms of tour quality, convenience, and overall enjoyment.
Throughout the meticulous planning phase, we ensure that you have access to a comprehensive wealth of information. Our highly proficient on-site representatives are dedicated to guaranteeing a seamlessly orchestrated and thoroughly delightful experience at your chosen destination.
Our unwavering commitment is to consistently go above and beyond for our valued clients. We are wholeheartedly focused on not only meeting but exceeding your distinctive requirements, all while providing transformative adventures that bestow a unique and enriching perspective on our world.
TOUR LEADERS
Ralph Ellis began his career as a software engineer, but moved into the equally technical spheres of mineral surveying, aviation, engineer, and palaeoclimatology, but always maintained and built upon the archaeological interests and research of his father.
As a historian, Ralph has toured the Mediterranean for more than three decades searching for secular similarities and parallels between the apparently disparate disciplines of history and theology. And the research has been very fruitful with many new fundamental discoveries being made, mostly in Egypt. This painstaking and complex historical crossword puzzle has taken more than two decades to put together, but at last the historical identities of Torah and Gospel events can emerge from their millennial shadows.
Ted Loukes is an independent researcher with a passion for ancient civilizations. His fascination with Ancient Egypt began when he was ten years old with a visit to the British Museum and the Treasures of Tutankhamun, a fascination that has stayed with him.
In 2011, he started a blog focussing on various mysteries and unexplained stories, past and present, and came across the suggestion of a link between the pharaoh Akhenaten and the biblical Moses. This blog post grew into the beginnings of a book, and he knew he had to go to Egypt.
In December 2012 he arrived in Cairo, just in time for the prophesized end of the world. He was on a package tour, to be followed by a week on his own which included some time in Amarna. That was it, Egypt captured him, heart and soul.
He returned in 2013 to take photographs for his planned book about Moses and Akhenaten. After publishing Moses and Akhenaten : Brothers in Alms, in 2015, his passion for Egypt led to the creation in 2018 of GnT Tours. His latest book Forty Days in Egypt in the Time of Corona was a result of getting stranded in Egypt as the world went into lockdown with Covid19.
Dr Micki Pistorius' is a South African psychologist, author and journalist. 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. 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 undertake an Honours degree in Biblical Archaeology.
Alicia McDermott is one of the researchers, editors, and writers at Ancient Origins. She has degrees in Anthropology, International Development Studies, and Psychology and sees herself as a lifelong learner with an open mind.
Alicia has worked in various fields such as education, tourism, and anthropology. Traveling throughout Bolivia and Peru, as well as all-over Ecuador, Alicia has increased her knowledge of Pre-Colombian sites as well as learning more about modern Andean cultures and fine-tuning her Spanish skills. Alicia has had a passion for writing since she was a child and apart from creative writing, she has written various essays about Latin American social issues and archaeological sites.
Dr Alistair Coombs has longstanding experience with the rich and mysterious prehistory of Turkey's past and what sense can be made of it today. His key areas of interest concern Neolithic transitions, religious movements, archaeoastronomy and environmental impacts on human behaviour. He is delighted to be able to guide visitors to the treasures of some of the region's best known archaeological sites and explore with them the impact they are having on ancient history and the human story.
MEET THE TEAM
Dr Ioannis (John) Syrigos is the co-owner and Managing Director of Ancient Origins. Ioannis 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, with a particular interest in the folklore surrounding ancient sites, as relayed by the local indigenous people.
Ioannis has undertaken expeditions and research in remote areas of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru, including Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) in the Colombian jungle, and the Tayos Cave system in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador, a vast underground network of caves where ancient artifacts have previously been found but very little of which has been officially explored. One of his expeditions resulted in him and a colleague being kidnapped by a tribe after they inadvertently strayed into their territory. They were put on trial but managed to negotiate their release.
Ioannis currently investigates ancient sites throughout Ireland, where he is currently based.
Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins.
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 for the British Royal Family, as well as co-owning a website design and development company.
Joanna co-founded Ancient Origins with 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, The Times, Spiegel and The Daily Mail. She regularly appears on radio and TV programs to discuss historical subjects. Her latest appearances include RTE's Today Show, Ireland AM, and Newstalk Radio.
Kostas is an Electronic and Computer Engineer, with an MSc in Communications and a MBA.
He possesses many years experience as Product/Project Manager and Sales Manager in different technology areas in Germany.
Kostas speaks fluently English and German, Greek is his mother tongue and he speaks also French. He has worked many years as manager in multicultural environments, exploiting his team spirit to achieve his teams goals, while customer`s satisfaction and loyalty is always his focus.
His hobbies include playing guitar, cross fit and swimming.
Rahul has been in the tourism industry since 2007 when he founded his own tour operating business. With a long-standing passion for adventure travel and a curiosity about diverse cultures and ancient history, he has developed and operated pioneering tours in some of the most remote and challenging places on earth. Rahul has always believed that tourism has the potential to bridge our gaps in knowledge, foster better cultural understanding, sustain livelihoods and preserve traditions. He is a strong advocate of responsible travel and he has a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism from the GSTC.
Rahul brings years of tour operating experience and enthusiasm to Ancient Origins, where he is responsible for curating and operating Ancient Origins' tours across the world. These inspirational tours showcase the wonders and mysteries of the ancient world which are further brought to life by knowledgeable local guides and the participation of carefully selected guest speakers. He looks forward to welcoming you on one of their adventures.
Santiago Giraldo Bedoya is the graphic designer for Ancient-Origins.net and the Art Director of Ancient Origins Magazine. He is an industrial and graphic designer with more than eight years' experience in content design. A Colombian living in Argentina, Santiago worked as Head of Art for Buenos Aires City Government.
Santiago is passionate about graphics, art and music. His vocation has always been linked to the study of creative tools, art, logos and branding. One of his favourite activities is to guess the typography of signs, playing with colors and compositions in his mind as he walks down busy city streets.
Umesh Jangir is a Full stack Lead Developer at heart and love working with PHP related technologies. He is passionate about Drupal, Magento and WordPress and advocate using open source technologies. More than 9+ years of experience. Umesh Jangir completed his Masters degree in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.