And My Trowel

Where fantasy meets archaeology! The realms between fantasy and reality have collided and only archaeologists can pave the way through the unknown. Ash and Tilly, armed with two trowels and a backlog of archaeological theory, navigate to new, thrilling worlds, filled with magic and mayhem to answer those burgeoning questions that only archaeologists can answer.

Pride and Prejudice and Radiocarbon dating - Ep 26
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Pride and Prejudice and Radiocarbon dating - Ep 26

Our hosts Ash and Tilly face a tough quest this episode, because they’ve been tasking with dating zombies. Discovering how long they’ve been dead, that is! To do this, they discuss the different methods of dating bodies in the archaeological record, and answer all those burning questions like “what is an isotope?” “What is voodoo?” And “what would happen if you took a zombie shopping?”

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There Can Only Be One (Winner)! - Ep 25
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

There Can Only Be One (Winner)! - Ep 25

It's the 25th episode of And My Trowel, and to celebrate, Ash and Tilly decided to have a battle of wits in order to see who could remember the most from the last 24 episodes. There can only be one! (Or can there...?)

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The Intangible Wand - Ep 24
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Intangible Wand - Ep 24

Ash and Tilly are about to embark on their biggest quest yet - trying to find archaeological evidence for the origins of magic! But how can you identify magic in the archaeological record? Listen in to hear a discussion about what defines a wand, how to tell if someone’s used magic, and what the link is between witches and beer.

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Damsels in Distress - Ep 23
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Damsels in Distress - Ep 23

This episode, Ash and Tilly are on a bit of a side quest that becomes much bigger than they ever thought possible, as they try to help a student from Lothlorien University critique the concept of a “damsel in distress” using gender archaeology. But what exactly is gender archaeology? What’s the difference between feminist and gender archaeology? And why do we need it? Listen in to find out!

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Two or More Objects Meet in a Hoard - Ep 22
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Two or More Objects Meet in a Hoard - Ep 22

It’s part two of a discussion all about hoards! Ash and Tilly are joined by Dr Adrián Maldonado in their quest to identify a hoard of objects recently stumbled across in the middle of the redevelopment of Khazad-dûm. But how do you identify a hoard? What kind of research can be done on them? Are were Viking silver rings just a medieval form of friendship bracelet? Listen it to find out!

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Looking at the fantastic side of archaeology and the ARCHAEOLOGY side of fantasy.