[davidvaughan]

I get the impression from the article that they weren't expecting an anaerobic space: "Archaeologists lifted up a piece of concrete flooring while exploring the foundations of the fourth-century stone fortress. They were struck by a layer of black, sweet-smelling and perfectly preserved anaerobic soil in an area where it was completely unexpected".

[mncharity]

Nod. And given rare, that could well be a reasonable standard of care. Sh*t happens. What I found disturbing was the absence, at least in this reporting, of any "but the unfortunate part of all this is...", or "we're now striving to rescue what we can". Just, "omg, excellent curios!", with seemingly no recognition of loss.