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.

The Amulet of Uncertainty (part 1) - Ep 31
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Amulet of Uncertainty (part 1) - Ep 31

There’s something glinting in the bookshelves, but what can it be? This episode Ash and Tilly are joined by archaeologist and jewellery historian Dr Sigrid van Roode to talk all about magical amulets. Together they discuss the importance of ancient jewellery and dive into the world of fantasy to see how the concept of magical amulets has developed over time, and ask that age-old question...

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The Conservation of Gorian Dray (part 2) - Trowel 30
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Conservation of Gorian Dray (part 2) - Trowel 30

It’s part two of our quest to conserve the portrait of Gorian Dray, with special guest and professional conservation expert Jessica van Dam. But should we actually be conserving this portrait at all? After all, you could argue that it is itself a person. So what are the ethics around working with human remains in archaeology? How would we approach this particular fantastical example?

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The Conservation of Gorian Dray (part 1) - Trowel 29
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

The Conservation of Gorian Dray (part 1) - Trowel 29

Ash and Tilly have discovered an old and dilapidated painting in the corner of their office, although arguably the most dilapidated part is the man pictured in it - a Mr Gorian Dray. Could it be a soul-bound object? And if so, how can they possibly go about conserving it? Luckily, they are joined by professional art conservator Jessica van Dam, and together they look at the world of fantasy!

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Gods, ritual, and potted plants - Ep 28
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Gods, ritual, and potted plants - Ep 28

Why have Tilly and Ash been turned into potted plants? Maybe it’s because they were trying to categorise an ancient and (apparently) wrathful god. But how does one classify a god? How can we identify them archaeologically? Are they people or objects? And most importantly, how will Ash and Tilly stop this recording? Listen in to find out!

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Promo: The Archaeology Show
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Promo: The Archaeology Show

This episode, Ash and Tilly have been so buried in quests that they didn’t have time to record! Luckily their fellow APN hosts over on The Archaeology Show have released a very timely episode about time travel, so we decided to share that here too. So listen in as Chris and Rachel review the surprisingly historically accurate Apple TV+ reboot of the movie Time Bandits.

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

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