Water production in an ancient sarcophagus at Arles-sur-Tech (France)

It has been claimed, from at least the 16th century on, that a sealed sarco phagus, located in the yard of the abbey of Arles-sur-Tech (France), produc es hundreds of litres of water per year. Many hypotheses have been advanced to explain this mystery. After about 3 years of data collection, it is con cluded that water production, which amounts to about 200 1/year, arises fro m a balance between rainwater, dew condensation and evaporation. Defects in the sealing provide on exchange with the atmosphere. Condensation is nearl y six times greater than evaporation and accounts for about 10% of the tota l water production. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.