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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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A headless skeleton, Suffolk, England (representational). Credit: Archaeological Solutions.

450 Headless ‘Vampire’ Skeletons Unearthed in Mass Grave in Poland

Archaeologists in Poland have excavated what is being called a “mass-suspected vampire grave.” With their decapitated skulls lodged between their legs, and coins in their mouths, every effort was...
Bone ‘aerophones’ or flutes from Eynan-Mallaha. Source: Laurent Davin et al/ Nature

Using These 12,000-Year-Old Flutes, Did Humans Speak With Raptors?

An archaeological site in Israel was excavated in the 1950’s, but somehow, a collection of 12,000-year-old bone flutes didn’t surface. Last year a team of researchers returned to excavate the site...
Two of the wigs on the test dummy used to test the performance of different hair in heat control.  Source: George Havenith/ Loughborough University

Hair Texture Helped Ancient Human Brains Expand 2-Million-Years-Ago

A team of scientists has unveiled fascinating insights into the evolutionary significance of human hair texture. By testing various wigs on a specially designed dummy exposed to solar radiation in a...
The Boxford Timber discovered in Berkshire. At more than 6,000 years old, it is Britain's oldest carved wood.    Source: © Derek Fawcett/Historic England

Britain's Oldest Wooden Artifact Found With Curious Carvings

This special piece of timber was unearthed on a building site in the village of Boxford in Berkshire, England. Decorated with mysterious carvings, this rare wooden artifact has been compared to...
Roman shoes discovered in the canal of the River Lys during the excavation of Thérouanne (Pas-de-Calais) in 2023.      Source: © Dominique Bossut, Inrap

Roman Craft Center, And Shoes, Unearthed Next to French Canal

Buried in a cocoon of silt for 1,700 years, archaeologists in France have excavated a well-preserved Roman craft center. Not only did they discover evidence of butchers, tanners, shoemakers, and...
Stone axe and knife (representational). Source: JPS / Adobe Stock.

700,000-Year-Old Tools Found in Greece Rewrite History

The rich historical tapestry of Greece has been dramatically expanded with the recent discovery of hunting tools dating back an astonishing 700,000 years. Unearthed in a coal mine in Megalopolis,...
Detail of the Huastec statue which was discovered in Mexico. Source: INAH

Statue of Huastec ‘Boss’ Found by Road Workers in Mexico

Road works in Hidalgo, Mexico, hit a snag when workers unearthed a rare stone statue. Turns out, it's a boss-level indigenous ruler who got relocated for his own safety, according to Mexican...
Poetry, song, and comedy was a way to deal with reality in medieval times.  Source: Ruslan Batiuk/Adobe Stock

Professor Discovers Oldest Script for Stand-Up Comedy in Scottish Library

A Cambridge academic found a rare 15th-century manuscript in Scotland, revealing the oldest medieval stand-up comedy. Apparently, they had jokes and laughter back then too! Not even Chat GPT knows...
An AI generated Roman Legion, representative of Legio X Fretensis. Source: Noel Cook/ Adobe Stock

Coins Dug Up in Georgia Expose Dirty Work of Legendary Legio X Fretensis

Archaeologists in Georgia have discovered a hoard of ancient coins, which had symbols punched into their faces long after they were created. When the researchers learned the nature of the symbols,...
A special metal frame allows archaeological digs of one square meter in the area the Rungholt church has been detected on the tidal flats. Source: Universitaet Mainz

Sunken Sanctuary and Settlement Rediscovered on German Coast

A sacred coastal building was drowned and lost during a storm surge in 1362 AD. Now, archaeologists in Germany have rediscovered the sunken medieval structure, which some media outlets are calling “...
Decoration inside one of the tombs recently unearthed in Saqqara, Egypt. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Tombs, Treasures, and Animal Mummies Unearthed in Saqqara Necropolis

Archaeologists in Egypt have announced the completion of their 6th excavation season at the Saqqara necropolis. Not only did they find human tombs filled with artifacts and painted hieroglyphs, but...
Yanghai leather saddle upper side. (P. Wertmann et al, 2023/Archaeological Research in Asia)

2,700-Year-Old Horse Saddle in Chinese Tomb May Be World’s Oldest!

Archaeologists in China have discovered a 2,700-year-old leather horse saddle. Not only is this maybe the oldest saddle ever discovered, but having been found in a woman’s tomb it contradicts...
The Bedchamber Sword of Tipu Sultan (reg. 1782-1799), SOLD for $17.5 million. Source: Bonhams Auctioneers

Why this Warrior Sultan’s Sword Has Just Sold for $17.5million, Most Expensive Sword Ever

Tipu Sultan's sword was estimated to sell for an inordinate $2.5 million. However, yesterday, this prize weapon was auctioned in London and fetched a staggering $17.5million (£14 million). This not...
The suit of armor found at Castillo de Matilla, Spain. Source: Municipality of Matilla de los Caños del Río.

Full Suit of Armor Discovered in Spanish Castle Excavation

Unfolding a piece of history straight out of the chivalric tales, a team of archaeologists hit the jackpot in the heart of Spain. They uncovered a complete 16th-century suit of armor , lost in the...
Roman Carvings of a Smiley Face and a Phallus Found in Spain

Roman Carvings of a Smiley Face and a Phallus Found in Spain

Archaeologists in Spain were exploring an ancient Roman fort when they discovered a carved smiley-face, a basket of fruits and a phallus . For answers as to what this carving means, we must delve...
Were ancient humans hanging out by the fire pits like people do today?         Source: Viks_jin/Adobe Stock

People Were Hanging Out by Fire Pits 250,000 Years Ago

Until now, the use of controlled fires for cooking, in Europe, was thought to have begun around 200,000 years ago. However, scientists in Spain have discovered a set of small prehistoric fire pits or...

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