The 8th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert and his wife, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, Fiona Herbert, talk to Heritage Key about the death of their ancestor Lord Carnarvon and how it impacted on those closest to him. They talk about the strains of fame after discovering the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62) and how the dwindling finances from investing in the excavations led to him selling many of his homes. His already poor health was worsened after a mosquito bite was aggravated, and then fell victim of pneumonia at the untimely age of just 56.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Wed, 01/27/2010 - 11:58
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?
Glastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, featuring the roofless St Michael's Tower. The Tor is located in the middle of the Summerland Meadows out of which the conical hill rose. In 1892, the remains of Glastonbury Lake Village (by the Tor) was uncovered, showing Iron age settlements one existed on the site in 300-200 BC. Later occupants were Earthworks and Romans. Legend has it that the Tor is home to Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of the Fairies. The site is under the management of the National Trust.
There are nearly 1,000 prehistoric stone circles in Britain and Rupert Soskin - together with producer Michael Bott - has visited over 100 of them, making an astonishing documentary about these magnificent Neolithic and Bronze monuments, focussing on a lot of the lesser known prehistoric stone monuments from megalithic Britain. Barrows, henges, borrows, cists, thrilitons and solitary megaliths, Soskin covers them all. 'Standing with Stones' wants to take the viewer beyond Stonehenge - that all-too familiar icon of Stone Age Britain - on an incredible journey of discovery that reveals the true wealth and extent of Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain & Ireland.
Ceri Lambdin from BACAS told This is Somerset: “It’s not every day that Roman soldiers appear in Somerset and children and adults will be amazed by the weight of the armour and the amount of kit a soldier had to carry every day. With only the remains of Roman civilisation left in Somerset, we aim to bring to life this exciting period of history and give children and adults an opportunity to experience what life was like during these times for themselves.”
The Sweet Track is an ancient timber causeway, preserved in a peat bog on the Somerset Levels, England, which has been described as the oldest engineered road in the world. It is believed to follow the same path as an even older causeway - the Post Track - which was built 30 years previous.
The track was laid by Neolithic man, using ash, oak and lime poles, driven into the marshy ground to support a walkway of oak planks laid end-to-end. It would have been used to facilitate access to the wetlands, which were an important source of food. It is approximately 2,000 metres (1.24 miles) long.
Much of the track still stands in its original setting, and is preserved by a special pumped water distribution system. Some sections can be viewed in the British Museum London.
A single human bone found in a cave in Devon may prove that early Britons were cannibals. The arm bone carries seven cut marks made deliberately with a stone tool which are consistent with the act of dismemberment. Scientists believe the bone is evidence that Britons from the Mesolithic period - some 9,000 years ago, between the end of the last Ice Age and the start of farming - engaged in complex burial rituals and possibly cannibalism. They think that because the markings are in the same place, they would have been used to remove muscle from the bone while still "fresh".
Dr Rick Schulting said in an interview with the BBC: "There are intentional cut marks on there, and it seems the bone has been intentionally split. These two together can raise the possibility of cannibalism. The location of the fracture...is where the cut would be made if dismemberment had taken place."
A mixed bag of archaeological fun at this day of events, which will include a surgery for identifying finds and family activities. Part of the Festival of British Archaeology 2009.
There are nearly 1,000 prehistoric stone circles in Britain and Rupert Soskin - together with producer Michael Bott - has visited over 100 of them, making an astonishing documentary about these magnificent Neolithic and Bronze monuments, focussing on a lot of the lesser known prehistoric stone monuments from megalithic Britain. Barrows, henges, borrows, cists, thrilitons and solitary megaliths, Soskin covers them all. 'Standing with Stones' wants to take the viewer beyond 
Somerset is getting ready for a Roman Invasion this saturday, thanks to a free archaeological open day organised by 
