A disassembled Egyptian wooden ship over 4500 years old, in a sealed pit near the Great Pyramid of Giza, was examined without excavating, using a specially designed drill, an air sampler, and video and still cameras. This nondestructive study was designed to obtain information about the boat while avoiding introduction of any foreign material into the pit, known as the Second Boat Pit. The first pit contained another boat whose excavation, preservation, and reconstruction, begun in 1954, required 18 years, and which has already begun to show signs of wear. It is hoped that investigation of the environment of the second boat might lead to a better understanding of how to preserve the boat now on exhibition.