Boy, 4, accidentally smashes 3,500-year-old jar during visit to museum

27 August 2024, 22:55 | Updated: 27 August 2024, 23:05

A 3,500-year-old jar was accidentally smashed into pieces by a four-year-old boy during a trip to a museum.

The artefact was on display at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa, Israel, when the damage happened on Friday.

The ancient artefact is dated between 1130 and 1500 BC.

The jar has been in the museum for 35 years and was discovered during excavations in Samaria, central Israel.

The jar had been on display near the entrance of the museum without glass, as the museum said it believes there is “special charm” in showing archaeological finds “without obstructions”.

The museum added artefacts rarely suffer damage but this jar will be repaired and placed back on display.

The jar was most likely originally intended to be used to carry local supplies, such as wine and olive oil.

It predates the time of the Biblical King David and King Solomon and is characteristic of the Canaan region on the eastern Mediterranean coast.

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