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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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Restoration work at Kulubà in Mexico, the Maya site where a sacrificial altar has now been uncovered. Source: Mauricio Marat / INAH

Chilling Maya Murder Tools Unearthed Near Kulubá Sacrificial Altar

Mexican archaeologists excavating in the central square of the ancient Maya city of Kulubá identified a curious cubic stone with all the hallmarks of having served as a sacrificial altar. Cementing...
Representational image of gold coins in the ground. Source: QuietWord / Adobe Stock

Civil War Surprise as Kentucky Farmer Unearths Valuable Coin Hoard

A Kentucky farmer was digging in his corn field earlier this year when he discovered over 700 coins. About 95% of the unexpected stash dated back to the American Civil War. This chance finding of a...
Detail of a bull diadem unearthed in elite tomb in Cyprus. Source: P. M. Fischer / Public domain

Swedish Expedition Strikes Gold Within Royal Tombs in Cyprus

An archaeological expedition from the University of Gothenburg has announced the finding of underground tombs in Cyprus. Initially, the Swedish archaeologists identified a set of mysterious chambers...
Divers at the site of the Phoenician ship. Source: Jose A Moya / Regional Government of Murcia

Spanish Archaeologists Plot Remarkable Rescue of Ancient Phoenician Ship

A Phoenician trading vessel that sank off the coast of Spain around 2,500 years ago has been rendered in high-resolution 3D maps. As a precursor of plans to rescue the shipwreck, piece-by-piece, in...
The site where the Roman necropolis and aqueduct have been discovered in Belgrade, Serbia.	Source: Belgrade City Museum/sveoarheologiji

Roman Necropolis Both Found and Doomed Due To A Car Park in Belgrade

Archaeologists in Serbia, excavating in the center of the city of Belgrade, have discovered a Roman necropolis filled with elaborate stone tombs, and a section of a Roman aqueduct system. However,...
A bone carved with designs that depict a catfish and inlaid with pieces of turquoise. (Image credit: Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology)

Lost Bronze Age Town Full of Treasures Unearthed in China

For eight decades, farmers in China’s Henan province have been picking up 3,000-year-old Shang Dynasty jade treasures from their fields. Until now, the origin of these artifacts was unknown, but a...
Stone armor from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. Source: CC BY 2.0

2,200-Year-Old Stone Armor Reveals Qin Shi Huang's Legacy

Excavations in 1998 and 2019 unearthed hoards of ancient stone armor in and around the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, offering insights into the emperor's military achievements and life. Now, a new...
CGI of a prehistoric woman hunting big game. Source: nsit0108/Adobe Stock

Study Shows Prehistoric “Man Hunter, Woman Gatherer” View Is Grossly Inaccurate

For a long time, it has been believed that prehistoric men played the role of hunters while women took on the role of gatherers. However, a recent study uncovers that both men and women in hunter-...
‘Pompeii pizza’ fresco shows a flatbread with items on top. Source: Parco Archeologico Pompeii

Archaeologists Excavating In Pompeii Find Ancestral Pizza Revealed in Fresco

Earlier this year, a team of archaeologists delved into some delicious secrets hidden within the volcanic tomb that is Pompeii. Guess what? They have uncovered a fresco showcasing what looks like an...
View of the hominin tibia from Koobi For a, with magnified area that shows cut marks that are evidence of possible prehistoric cannibalism. 	Source: Jennifer Clark/Smithsonian

Prehistoric Cannibalism Revealed? Human Relatives Butchered Each Other 1.45 Million Years Ago

A human leg bone dating back to 1.45 million years ago is marked with 11 tiny cut marks. A new study shows that while two were made by an animal, probably a lion, the remaining 9 suggest another...
LiDAR technology has helped archaeologists identify a lost Maya city in Mexico. Source: Ivan Ṡprajc / INAH

Huge Lost Maya City Has Emerged From the Jungle in Mexico

Mexican archaeologists harnessed the potential of LiDAR drones to undertake an extensive survey of the Yucatan Peninsula, yielding the remarkable discovery of a once-forgotten city. This...
The Inca sun temple or Qorikancha in Cusco city during Inti Raymi, hence the solar disk. Source: SL-Photography/Adobe Stock

Ancient Astro-Architecture of the June 21 Winter/Summer Solstice

Even the most well-read history buffs among us often go cold when they read about ancient cultures calling today, 21 June - the “winter solstice”. Let’s delve into solstice mechanics, and explore why...
Study claims that this piece of graphite is actually a 42,000-year-old carved Mongolian phallus. Source: Solange Rigaud et. al. / CC BY 4.0

Expert Claims This 42,000-year-old Mongolian Rock is the Oldest Phallus in the World

A small and perhaps unremarkable looking rock was recently discovered at a site in Mongolia. Controversially dated to 42,000-years-ago, a scientist has presented the find as one of the oldest crafted...
Smaller Buddha of Bamiyan, before and after destruction. (Minahatithan / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Twisted Tourism: Taliban Sells Tickets to See the Buddhas They Blew Up

The Taliban are not known as being guardians of history, and for the last 20 years they have embarked on a quest to “honor” the artifacts of antiquity with sledge hammers and bombs. After turning...
Representative image of mummy in Nazca, Peru. Source: Matthias Kestel/Adobe Stock

Students Find A Mummy In A Temple, Beneath A Peruvian Trash Site

Dump diving in Lima, archaeology students removed 8-tonnes of rubbish to reveal a rare, mummified body from Peru's ancient Manchay culture. Astonishingly, they also identified a colossal U-shaped...
Study reveals Romans bred bulldog-like canines 2,000 years ago. Source: svetography / Adobe Stock

Romans Bred Bulldog-like Canines 2,000 Years Ago, But Why?

A team of scientists measured a damaged 2,000-year-old dog skull discovered at a Roman site in Turkey. They discovered that not only did Romans breed a small flat-faced dog, similar to a French...

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