....burrowing into it has resulted in two things - less knowledge and more damage than was expected.
I agree with the last part of that Nigel but not the first. Each dig (a ghastly word in this context) has produced some knowledge/information about the structure - though I agree that the damaged caused by those digs cannot be said to offset the knowledge gained from them (nor should it).Sigh... this on the day when Tutankhamen's head goes on 'display' :-( Archaeologists everywhere - do try to catch up with what is and what is not right in the grander scale of things.