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Ashley Cowie

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of Scotland, and he went on to study filmmaking in Glasgow. In his early-20s he began exploring ancient landscapes in the remote North Highlands and presented his archaeological findings to the Orkney International Science Festival and has since written four non-fiction books about his discoveries. Ashley became an elected member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1783, and became the Resident Historian on Scottish television’s The Hour Show. He presented 46 episodes of The People’s History Show while teaching filmmaking and television presenting at the University of the West of Scotland. He also markets his family restaurant, Captain’s Galley, which for almost two decades has been one of the most highly-awarded sustainable and ethical restaurants in the world. In North America Ashley wrote, presented and produced NBC's hit-adventure series Legend Quest following his global hunt for lost historical treasures and featured on PBS’s documentary series Great Estates; listed on Amazon’s 2016 top-ten most downloaded documentaries. In 2018 Ashley filmed an extreme-cyclist racing from South America to Alaska on the Pan American Highway Challenge; filmed a treasure hunt in Scotland with Discovery Channel’s Josh Gates for Expedition Unknown; searched for Inca mummies in Argentinian mountain caves with Travel Channel’s Ramy Romany on Mummies Unwrapped and he filmed a team of 12 explorers in Colombia searching for petroglyphs on sacred hills. Today, Ashley writes news and research features for various history and archaeology platforms and produces weekly short films exploring the archetypes of myths, folklore and fairytales on his Clan Mythology platform. And 2020 brings new documentaries such as Ancient Botanics exploring the lost eco-traditions of Pre-Colombian cultures and Highlander’s Gold searching for lost Jacobite war-chest in Scotland.

Website: https://historyfuzz.com/

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CT images of the mummy revealed amulets were placed on or inside the mummified body of the Golden Boy mummy, including a two-finger amulet discovered next to the boy’s uncircumcised penis. (Saleem, Seddik and el-Halwagy / CC BY 4.0)

Scans Reveal Magic Amulets Inside Egyptian Golden Boy Mummy

CT scans conducted during a recent study of the “Golden Boy” mummy, which was discovered in 1916 in southern Egypt, has revealed a hidden collection of 49 magical amulets, including many forged in...
The remains of a young girl found buried with 142 dogs has offered new insights. Source: CEI RAS

Young Girl and 142 Dogs Found Buried Together in Elite Egyptian Tomb

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of 142 non-ritually buried dogs, covered in blue powder, in an elite Egyptian tomb. It is believed they were drowned in a reservoir flood. Designated a...
The British Museum will no longer use the term ‘mummy’, in an attempt to show sensitivity towards the mummified remains. Source: fergregory / Adobe Stock

Woking the Dead: British Museum Bans the Word ‘Mummy’ for Ancient Remains

British Museum chiefs have been accused of being ‘woke’ and virtue signaling to the public after banning the word ‘mummy.’ The museum claims they “don’t want to offend dead Egyptians.” You might be...
Recently discovered textiles in the Aravah point to Silk Road trade in ancient Israel.	Source: Israel Antiquities Authority: Olga Nganbitsky Nofer Shamir, Roy Galili.

Precious Ancient Fabrics from the ‘Israeli Silk Road’ Found in a Trash Heap

Archaeologists have uncovered rare, printed fabrics dating back around 1,300 years. While the fabrics had originated in the East, they were found in an Israeli dump! It is the first evidence of a...
How the Newport Ship may have looked as it docked at Newport in the 15th Century. Source: Newport Museums and Heritage Service

Rebuilding the Newport Ship: The Welsh Shipwreck Rivalling the Mary Rose

In 2022, the Newport Ship was discovered in the River Usk near Newport in Wales. Considered one of the most significant archaeological finds in the United Kingdom, after years of restoring the...
Singular Roman soldier gazing over the glens ( serpeblu / Adobe Stock)

Remnants Of Roman Roads And Fortresses In Scotland

The Romans occupied what is today Britain between the late first to mid-fifth centuries. To move their legions from one place to another, they built over pre-existing trackways to form the...
Left: Scientists using an XRF gun to test the sword’s chemical composition. Right: Bronze Age Era sword (1080-900 BC) now proved not to be a replica. Source:  © Field Museum

Chicago’s “Replica” Sword is Actually an Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Weapon

Over the last century a sword has been on display at the Field Museum in Chicago and dubbed a “replica Bronze Age weapon.” However, an x-ray has now disclosed that this brutal device of death is...
Minoan Bronze Age family harvesting grain. The new study posits that cousins married to protect their family farmland. Source: Nikola Nevenov / Nature

Cousins Married to Protect Their Farmland in Bronze Age Greece

It was “customary” for cousins to marry in the Aegean Bronze Age, according to a team of archaeogeneticists studying ancient social customs. Cousin marriage is defined as the legal union of two...
A Roman ritual center has been discovered in Northampton, which had been in use since the Bronze Age. Source: International Council of Museums / Twitter

Highly Significant Bronze Age and Roman Ritual Center Discovered in England

A team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) have uncovered a 4,000-year-old treasure trove of ritual and religious activity in Overstone, near Northampton, England. This...
21 ancient Han tombs have been discovered, including a rare 2,000-year-old double-layer burial tomb. Source: Xinhua

Archaeological Treasure Trove! 21 Royal Han Tombs Unearthed in China

Archeologists exploring a mountainside in China have discovered 21 tombs dating back 2,000 years. The presence of luxury artifacts and a rare “couple’s grave” suggests this was an ancient royal...
Prehistoric man holding an ostrich egg. Public domain.

7,500-Year-Old Ostrich Egg Found Around Ancient Campsite in Israel

A collection of eight ostrich eggs dated to between 4,000 and 7,500 years old have been discovered near an ancient fire pit in southern Israel. It was a campsite used by prehistoric nomads, which...
Research of Latin papyrus texts has allowed for a deeper understanding of the Roman world. Representational image of papyrus scrolls. Source: shaiith / Adobe Stock

Latin Papyrus Texts Reanimate Fossils of the Roman World

The PLATINUM project claims to be a “Partnership for Learning and Teaching in University Mathematics.” The study began with the goal of analyzing existing Latin papyrus texts dating to the 1st to 8th...
Bocksten Man; The Tollund Man as he appears today; Osterby Man with hair tied in a Suebian Knot. At Archäologisches Landesmuseum; The face of the bog body known as Grauballe man;  Porsmose Man	Source: CC BY 2.0  / Tollundman.dk / CC BY 3.0 / Public Domain / CC BY-SA 3.0

Bog-Body Study Reveals Prehistoric “Overkill”

A new study analyzing 1000 bodies recovered from wetlands across Europe has concluded that the burial practice emerged in the deep-prehistoric period and continued until early modern times...
Saint Michael’s Mount in Cornwall (Public Domain)

Channel Island Hopping In Search of Illusive Ictis

Saint Brendan’s Isle, Hy-Brasil and the Isle of Avalon are three of the many fabled islands that were once believed to have existed off the coastline of Britain. These were traditionally difficult...
The excavated wishing well found in Germering, Bavaria, Germany. Source: Marcus Guckenbiehl/ Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments

Magical-Mechanics Discovered In 3,000-Year-Old Wishing Well

Archaeologists digging in a Bavarian city have discovered around 70 ancient water wells. However, none of them was as laden with treasure as this latest well. For all ancient civilizations , water...
Photo of the Parthenon Marbles, East Pediment. The Elgin Marbles have been controversial ever since they were taken from Greece. Source: Justin Norris / CC BY 2.0

Are the Controversial Elgin Marbles Finally Destined for Athens?

For over a decade, staff at The British Museum refused to even discuss returning the controversially procured Elgin Marbles to Greece. Now, they’re sitting around a table with Greek heritage...

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