The temperature is held at 65 degrees Fahrenheit, while a humidifier keeps the moisture level tightly controlled. But the hum of the air conditioner lets slip that this modest room is protecting something special. It doesn’t seem like the most fertile ground for archaeological discovery.
Beyond a door simply marked “Archive” is what looks like a normal office: fluorescent lights, cheap blue carpet and a row of plain gray rolling stacks. From the circular main hall of a University of Oxford library, a short corridor leads to a staircase that takes you down below street level.
