THESE are twitchy times for Army bomb disposal experts, whose skills are crucial in the most dangerous of situations.

So an ancient tomb must have made for a refreshing change.

Archaeologists working at the Mount in York called in the Army Bomb Disposal Squad to determine what lay inside a stone coffin.

As the lid to this sarcophagus alone weighed at least a ton, you can see why it was an idea to take a peek before trying to shift it.

So far the money's on nothing more explosive than very old bones - but how interesting to see military might and technology used to such a delicate end.

Updated: 10:35 Tuesday, August 02, 2005