3,500-Year-Old Jar at Museum Accidentally Smashed by 4-Year-Old Boy

An accident by a 4-year-old boy resulted in a museum artifact being severely damaged.

During a recent trip to Israel’s Hecht Museum with his parents on Friday, Aug. 23, a young boy smashed a 3,500-year-old jar from the Bronze Age that was on display without being behind protective glass, according to CNN.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Hecht Museum explained its decision to display certain artifacts without protective glass, as the museum’s founder, Reuben Hecht, wanted to ensure that artifacts were publicly accessible.

“The museum believes there is a special charm in experiencing an archaeological find without any obstructions,” Dr. Inbal Rivlin, Hecht Museum’s general manager, says, confirming that despite the jar being smashed, the practice would continue.

There is a bit of a silver lining for the damaged artifact. The Hecht Museum tells PEOPLE that the University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Marine Cultures’ Roy Shafir, who is a specialist in conservation, will restore the jar.  

“Given the photographic documentation of the jar and familiarity with its form, the jar will be returned to its place in a short time,” Dr. Rivlin.

“The Hecht Museum will also take the opportunity to document the conservation work so that it can be presented to the public as well — so soon the jar will be visible again, along with the work that facilitated its ‘rescue,’” the general manager adds.

In an interview with The Guardian, the boy’s father, Alex, recounted the incident. “My initial reaction was denial. I couldn’t believe it was my son who did it,” he said.

His father explained that initially his son was curious if anything was inside the jar and then “pulled the jar slightly … that’s how the jar tipped over and fell.” 

“At first, I was in shock,” the boy’s father added. “Then I felt a bit angry with him.” Surprisingly, Alex said that he and his wife were fully expecting to be scolded or punished in some way for the accident, but the opposite happened.

“Instead of imposing fines or punishment, they invited us to visit again,” he told The Guardian.

Dr. Rivlin tells PEOPLE that he understood that the situation was an accident. “There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police,” the general manager says. 

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“In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly,” she adds.

Rivlin also tells PEOPLE that the institution “has publicly invited the child and his family to visit the museum again and to witness the restored jar. The family has agreed to this invitation, and they will be visiting the museum this weekend, and receive an organized tour as well, to sweeten together the previous experience at the museum.”

Per the Hecht Museum, the jar, which was positioned at the entrance, “is dated to the Middle Bronze Age, between 2200-1500 BCE. It predates the time of King David and King Solomon and is characteristic of the Canaan region. It was intended for the storage and transport of local supplies, mainly wine and olive oil.”