TIL

is 1.75 cubic feet of solid material reasonable?

the image displays distinct relief cracks of a drying wet slurry, the dark staining inside the coffin suggests high fluid mark was maybe 4inches, it may have knocked an urn over, before recedeing, and evaporating.

while not up on the finer points of such burial practice, it doesnt seem unreasonable that a consideral amount of flowers and other plant materials may be involved, there should be considerable pollen present, potassium and sodium salts of the decedent, adipocere, and perhaps diatoms dependent on the nature of the soil, and source of water percolating into the sarcophagus.

i believe considering it to be just mud, would be to overlook, a volume of pertinant discovery.

Step 2: Archive it. (Dig and catalogue)

Step 3: Analyze it.

We often learn new things from fossils that have been shelved for decades, but not yet researched, so I assume analysis is still in the pipeline.