The deterioration of mural paintings in Takamatsuzuka Tumulus was not only caused by microorganisms like fungi, but also by spalling of lime plaster. Following excavation of mural paintings, the emergency preservation measures were applied to control the hygrothermal environment, however, without a visible success. To reduce the deterioration of mural paintings, one must reduce the frequency of wetting and drying cycles inside the chamber. Using climatic measurements, a numerical simulation of the effects of postexcavation preservation measures on hygrothermal behavior in the stone chambers of Takamatsuzuka Tumulus was performed. The results showed that the method of covering the exposed surface of the stone chamber with a certain thickness of soil will be more effective in limiting the temperature increases within the stone chamber and controlling dryness on the interior surfaces.

Biodeterioration caused by filamentous fungi is often a threat to the architectural heritage (i.e. tombs and historic sites). To specifically understand the deterioration phenomena caused by microorganisms in tombs and how these are shaped due to various environmental factors, the fungal communities in the coffin chamber of the Chinese emperor Yang (BC 569–618) were investigated at different heights using denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting. The associated environmental conditions, such as humidity, temperature, height and illumination, were also assessed. The results showed that a great diversity of fungal species (Cordyceps, Fusarium, Harpochytrium, Emericellopsis, Volutella, Cladosporium, Stachybotrys, Trichoderma, Cochlonema and two unknown fungal species) was present in emperor Yang’s coffin chamber. The predominant species were Stachybotrys, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Cochlonema. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that humidity, temperature, height and illumination were the most significantly related factors shaping the fungal communities. Humidity showed the highest degree of variance description (19.2%) than all other environmental factors, followed by illumination (18.3%) and height (12.8%). Furthermore, fungal richness and diversity indices showed a positive correlation with humidity (p < 0.05). These results help in understanding the fungal community in tombs, promoting the mitigation of deterioration phenomena of such building heritage for the present and future.