Before concluding this account of the discovery, it would not be out of place to say a few words concerning the state in which we found the objects in the tomb, and to suggest the main cause of much of their deterioration.

The existence in the past of damp in the tomb is a subject that needs consideration, although it has been treated summarily in the previous volumes.

From every point of view it was a thousand pities that this tomb should have suffered from infrequent moisture filtering through the fissures in the limestone rock in which it was cut. This moisture saturated the air of its chambers, and caused a humid atmosphere to exist therein for what must have been considerable intermittent periods. It not only nourished a fungoid growth, and caused a peculiar pink film to be deposited everywhere, but it destroyed practically all the leather-work by melting it into a black viscid mass. It also caused extensive warping to take place among the varied woods used in the construction of many of the objects. It dissolved all adhesive material such as glue, so that the component parts of many of the articles fell apart. It also resulted in much deterioration of the textiles—an irreparable loss, for among them were rare garments and the like made of tapestry-woven linen fabric as well as of needlework.