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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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The circular monument discovered in Waskiri, Bolivia. Credit: Antiquity.

Ritual Site Connected to Ancient Andean Cults Discovered in Bolivia

Archaeologists in Bolivia have discovered 135 ancient hilltop sites including an enormous circular structure where they say members of ancient Andean cults would have once worshipped the sun. The...
Vikingship on Ungst (Unstphoto/CC BY-SA 4.0)

5,000 Years of History Still Standing In Scotland’s Shetland Isles

Ultima Thule meaning "farthest Thule", was the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman cartographic literature, while modern interpretations of this place include the islands of...
Researchers stand where massive timber pillars once stood to give a perspective on the size of the site of the home of Prince Toneri in Nara.            Source: Nara City Board of Education/Asahi

Residence of 8th Century Japanese Prince Toneri Uncovered

Archaeologists in Japan excavated a site ahead of a new apartment building project. Little did they know they were digging into the spectacular home of the 8th century AD Prince Toneri! Located in...
Some of the stages of skull photogrammetry and initial anatomical deformation (Moacir Elias Santos & Cicero Moraes /CC BY 4.0)

Digital Scientists Resurrect A 30,000-Year-Old Egyptian Man

Fusing scientific theory with artistry, a team of researchers has generated “stunning” 3D images of the oldest person ever discovered in Egypt. Using photogrammetry, a team of researchers have...
The new research revealed that the giant snails were cooked on hot embers by hunter-gatherers in southern Africa thousands of years ago. (Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock)

Prehistoric Hunters Roasted and Ate Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed the remains of enormous snail shells at a 225,000-year-old archaeological site in southern Africa. What makes this find truly remarkable is...
An ancient cooper fish hook used to hunt sharks was found on Israeli coasts. Source: Israel Antiquities Authority

6,000-Year-Old Fishhook Indicates Shark Was on the Menu

This ancient copper “fishhook” is the earliest of its type ever discovered in Israel. But this hook wasn’t used for hauling up inshore tiddlers, rather, it was designed for hunting huge sharks off...
A severed hand that was apparently amputated in a trophy taking practice by the Hyksos in Egypt. Source: Gresky, J. et al 2023 / Nature

Severed Hands Reveal Gruesome Trophy-Taking Practices in Ancient Egypt

Twelve severed hands have been discovered in Egypt, part of a gruesome "trophy-taking" practice that has just been revealed in a groundbreaking study. This finding marks the first known physical...
Ancient Egyptian graffiti, in this case Coptic graffiti, at the Temple of Isis in the Philae Temple Complex in Egypt. Source: Warren LeMary / CC0

3D Mapping Brings 2,000 years of Ancient Egyptian Graffiti into Focus

The oldest known graffiti in the world dates back to the ancient Egyptian civilization. It was carved and painted over 4,000 years ago on the walls of the temples and tombs. Ancient Egyptian graffiti...
An Australian lab-grown meat company has created a so-called mammoth meatball made using mammoth DNA. Source: studioaico/ Wunderman Thompson

Scientists Create Potentially Deadly Prehistoric “Mammoth Meatball”

Scientists have successfully created a hybrid of elephant, sheep, and mammoth DNA in a laboratory, which they have misleadingly dubbed the “mammoth meatball”. Despite their success, producers of the...
The currently unknown structure found in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Source: Ivano Dorbolo’

Baffling Stone Structure Unearthed in Rural Italy

A recent discovery in Italy has left archaeologists scratching their heads. A stone structure of unknown purpose has been unearthed near the town of Torreano, near Udine in the Friuli Venezia Giulia...
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar, or not? Source: Pawel Pajor / Adobe Stock

Disrupting Dogmatic History - Stonehenge Wasn’t a Calendar!

A study conducted by a pair of physicists has criticized past research which claimed that Stonehenge was created to function like a giant calendar. They assert that astronomical associations...
Beethoven. Source: flint0010 / Adobe Stock

Beethoven Died of Alcoholism, Promiscuity and a Weak Liver

The answers to decades-long questions about the health issues suffered by famed classical music composer Ludwig van Beethoven have been found in the most unexpected of places. Thanks to in-depth...
A tired Muslim woman awakening early during Ramadan. (Odua Images/Adobe Stock)

In Centuries Old Tradition, Drummers Awaken a Sleeping Istanbul to Ramadan

3,400 Muslim drummers dressed in Ottoman period costumes will march through 1000 Istanbul neighborhoods, reciting ancient poems before dawn, preserving “a beauty” from the month of Ramadan. Selami...
The panel of prehistoric engravings found in Cova de la Vila, Catalonia, Spain. Source: Arnau Pascual Monells / Departament de Cultura

“Exceptional” Prehistoric Engravings Found in Lost Spanish Cave

Lost for over 50 years, a Spanish cave has revealed over 100 "exceptional" prehistoric artworks that have astonished archaeologists. The Cova de la Vila cave, located in the Tarragona province of...
Aerial image of the excavations in progress showing the scale of the Roman megastructure uncovered in Reims, France. Source: Yoann Rabaste / INRAP

Massive Hidden Roman Megastructure Unearthed in Reims Cemetery

Archaeologists digging in Reims, France have discovered a monumental ancient Roman complex dating back to the second to third century AD. The Roman megastructure uncovered in Reims was found complete...
Remains of the Roman mosaic discovered at Olney, England. Source: Oxford Archaeology

Roman Mosaic Discovered At Proposed Aldi Supermarket

Archaeologists in England have announced the remains of an ancient Roman villa and bath house buried beneath what will become a new supermarket. The rare mosaic brickwork was discovered in Warrington...

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