Sean Williams's blog

When you think of King Tut, do you see a young boy, struggling with the enormity of his power; a slender adolescent in control of the world's greatest empire?

Be excited: our Ancient World in London series is under way! The last few days have seen us wheeling around the city shooting some of the city's best ancient landmarks, and working away at HK HQ creating quests, competitions and an exciting new homepage for everyone to get stuck into over the next three months. But who would lead our video adventure in and around the capital?

For us there was only one answer: the web. Instead of going down the usual recruitment site route, we'd create a video getting people up for the cause, then select our presenters from those who could create the best video responses. If we're creating an interactive web event, why not start at the very beginning?

Last week we told the first part of the story of Lord Carnarvon, one of Britain's greatest explorers: his love of cars, planes, travel, and - most importantly - his obsessive passion for finding Tutankhamun's treasures. But what became of the cavalier adventurer, and why is there not a single one of his finds in Britain?

"There's a passing on of knowledge for over 1,500 years spanning the whole Bronze Age, between our Stone Age ancestors who built Stonehenge and our Druid ancestors who wrote down folklore that we now take from Ireland, Scotland and Wales," says Stonehenge Druid Frank Somers. "And that means that folklore has earlier origins going right back."

"There is a bit of an Indiana Jones style to that portrait of my great-grandfather, and it rather sums up his character." George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon looks up at the image of his namesake forebear admiringly. A dashing 5th Earl of Carnarvon looks playfully down the barrel of a cigarette, rogueish grin etched upon his face.

Fancy yourself a bit of an urban Ray Mears? A Starbucks-guzzling Bear Grylls, perhaps? Now's your chance to relive those Indiana Jones dreams with us, and get paid for the pleasure! We're looking for a pair of exciting presenters - a man and a woman - to join us on our Ancient World in London series, beginning the end of this month.

This is a great chance to get your face seen all over the world, and visit some of Britain's best and most hidden historical sites.

The Arabian peninsula has been suffering recently. Yemen has been accused of harbouring terrorists by the West, and the gargantuan Burj Tower in Dubai was unveiled last week amid a haze of economic uncertainty. Yet tiny Qatar, an outcrop with a population barely topping one million, continues to buck its diminutive stature with world-beating business and heady ambitions. And the Museum of Islamic Art in capital city Doha may just be Qatar's most impressive structure.

Two large tombs have been discovered at the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara - one of which is the largest ever found at the site. The 26th Dynasty tombs, likely robbed during the Roman era, are nonetheless filled with important arefacts including coffins, skeletons, pottery and mummified eagles.

The tombs, discovered by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, are at the Ras El Gisr area of Saqqara, near the landmark's entrance. Both tombs are cut into the hills of the region: the larger first tomb is hewn from limestone while the other is mud-brick.

"In most Egyptian tombs you've either got the wall paintings or the coffin." Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon says, stressing the uniqueness of Tutankhamun's tomb, the greatest discovery in history.

The discovery of a 'Jesus-Era' man buried outside Jerusalem, Israel, has cast doubt on the famous Turin Shroud. The man, who is thought to have suffered from both tuberculosis and leprosy, was buried in a cave called the 'Tomb of the Shroud', part of the 'Field of Blood' (Akeldama), a 1st century AD cemetery in the Lower Hinnom Valley (Gehenna) near Jerusalem. The preservation of bodies in the region is extremely rare, thanks to high humidity levels underground.