 The arid conditions of the desert allowed the documents and organic remains to survive.Mons Claudianus was an abundant source of Granodiorite for Rome, and was used in notable Roman structures including the emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, public baths, the floors and columns of the temple of Venus, Diocletian's Palace at Split and the columns of the portico of the Pantheon in Rome were quarried at Mons Claudianus.Each was tall, five feet (1.5 m) in diameter, and 60 tons in weight.