A four-year-old boy accidentally smashed a 3,500-year-old jar into pieces during a trip to a museum in Israel.
The Bronze Age jar was on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa without protective glass, an intentional move by the museum which said it believed there was a “special charm” in displaying items “without obstructions”.
Alex, the young boy’s father, told the BBC his son pulled at the jar as he was “curious about what was inside”, causing it to fall.
Alex said he was “shocked” to see his son standing next to the smashed jar and initially thought: “It wasn’t my child that did it.”
Lihi Laszlo, who works at the museum, said there have been instances where items were damaged on purpose and that “such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police”.
She added: “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.”
Rare find
The artefact, made between 2200-1500 BC, was considered by the museum to be so rare because it was intact, unlike many archaeological artefacts which are found damaged or broken.
The museum has already begun the process of restoring the jar, which is believed to have been used to carry wine or olive oil.
Despite the incident, the museum intends to continue exhibiting artefacts without glass protection.
“Whenever possible, items are displayed without barriers or glass walls,” the museum said.
Following the accident, the boy and his family were invited for a guided tour at the museum, which is located in the grounds of the University of Haifa in northern Israel.