Scholarship, teaching, writing, and public service

John Prevas earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in political science from the University of Maryland, a second master's degree in educational psychology from Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. He has studied Latin on the graduate level at Yale University and the University of Maryland.

John taught Latin, Greek, government, law, and history at St. Mary's College of Maryland and Towson University. He moved on to become scholar in residence and assistant professor of classics at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida and in 2015 became assistant professor of classics at the University of South Florida, Sarasota, until his retirement in 2024.

John's professional career began with the publication of his master's thesis, The Soviet Reaction to the Cultural Revolution in China, by the University of Maryland in 1969. As a result of the interest in that thesis, he joined the Foreign Area Studies group at American University in Washington, D.C. co-authoring a book on the Soviet Union for the Department of Defense. The book was published by the government printing office in 1971 and used as a reference for government agencies. That was followed by the publication of a second co-authored book on modern Greece which reflected the difficult and controversial transition of the country from a monarchy to a republic.

During the next decade, John was a supervisor for the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Facility in Alexandria, Virginia, followed by a two-year period as a member of the clinical treatment team for juveniles at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital in Towson, Maryland while he earned his master's degree in educational psychology at Johns Hopkins. John then began work for the Maryland Division of Corrections with postings at the Maryland Penitentiary, the Maryland House of Corrections, the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital for the Criminally Insane, and the Southern Maryland Pre-release facility where he served in several capacities from director of the educational programs to disciplinary hearing officer.

At Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., John chose an academic path specializing in forensic psychiatry and writing a thesis on the Evolution and Development of the Insanity Defense in the Criminal Laws of Maryland.

John's classical career in scholarship began with his first published work Hannibal Crosses the Alps in 1998. This was followed by Xenophon's March, Envy of the Gods, Power Ambition Glory, and Hannibal's Oath. In all these books, John weaves a common thread. He combines primary-source research with extensive travel tracing the routes followed by these ancient leaders. His research has led him through the French Alps, Eastern Turkey, and the terrorist belts of Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.

As a result of his work, John has appeared on CNN, CNN International, NPR, C-SPAN, the History Channel, the BBC, National Geographic, and Voice of America.