Philip is 40 years of age but looks a little younger.  He is 5’9” tall and weighs in at around 140lbs.  He has blue eyes and short blonde hair, which is even more lightened by a life spent mostly out of doors.

His years of outdoor life have left him tanned, fit and healthy and he is more at home in the desert or in mountains than he is in the city.

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Philip Piggott Born 1885 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Studied Archaeology and Ancient Languages (Egyptian hieroglyphics and Semitic) at Edinburgh University 1903-1906.

During the summer of 1905 Philip spent a summer in England assisting Dr Michael Elias with post-excavation work before the doctor moved to the USA.  The two became friends despite the difference in their ages.

Worked in Egypt, Nubia and Palestine under George Reisner of Harvard and quickly developed an interest in funerary practices, in particular those described in the Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ as concerning death and rebirth.

When Reisner returned to teach in Harvard in 1910 Phillip stayed on and worked mainly in Palestine, specialising in desert burial sites or cave painting sites, often travelling alone through very difficult terrain.

When World War I began, because of his knowledge of the country he was made a civilian intelligence officer for the British Army in Palestine.  He saw no military action, but in 1916 he was instrumental in foiling an assassination attempt by Turkish infiltrators on a prominent British officer.  He was put forward for a medal because of his bravery and, as he was a civilian, he was awarded the George Cross; the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross.  He still owns the Mauser C96 broomhandle pistol which he took from the dead hands of one of the assassins.

In 1919 he was contacted by Jackson Elias, a nephew of Dr Michael.  Jackson and his father Dr Leonardo Elias had come to England to research practitioners of witchcraft in Great Britain, specifically England, and had been pointed towards Philip by Dr Michael. Philip was intrigued and was drawn into the investigation.

When the Elias men returned to the USA Philip went with them.  He started his Masters on the subject of ‘Near Eastern Religion & Burial Practices’ at Columbia under his old friend Dr Michael.

Shortly after this both men decided to join the Hendricks-Hodge Expedition investigations into Native American culture at Hawikku and Kechiba:wa, two sites of early historic villages near the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico.  Philip was especially invited because of his extensive desert and wilderness experience.

He stayed with the expedition for 2 years but his interest in the day to day life of these early farmers was limited and he was soon working further afield investigating cave paintings in remote locations throughout the South-West. The more he looked, the more he became convinced that the paintings of the various tribes showed similarities, especially in their portrayal of their Gods, demi-Gods, Demons and Devils. How could such far-flung communities have so many beliefs, myths and legends in common?

He is more at home in the desert or in mountains than he is in the city. He taught himself Spanish in order to communicate better with the local Indians and he now has a smattering of the local languages also. He maintained a home, a small apartment, in Needles, California from where he could access most of the south-western desert region but still have access to ‘civilization’ when he needs it.

After some terrifying encounters in California where a number of young women were brutally murdered with the involvement of some kind of scaly sea creature Philip gave up his home and moved to New York City where he now lives, writing populist books on archaeology, in particular the most bizarre and horrific elements of that genre.

Over these years he has maintained a long friendship with both Dr Michael Elias and with Jackson Elias.