They were not like freshly made objects.

They had absorbed water over centuries to the point where the wood itself was structurally weakened.

Many were fragile and required immediate conservation treatment after excavation to prevent them from drying out and crumbling.

Excavating waterlogged organic materials is one of the most technically demanding situations in archaeological fieldwork.

When wood that has been saturated for 500 years is exposed to air, the water that has replaced the original cellular structure begins to evaporate.

As it does, the wood can warp, crack, and crumble.