A 3,500-year-old jar was accidentally broken by a young boy on Monday, August 23, at the Hecht Museum in Haifa. The four-year-old boy was curious to see if there was anything inside the archaeological treasure, which was on display at the entrance of the museum. “He pulled lightly… that’s how the jar tipped over and fell.”explained the father. The thousand-year-old ceramic fell to the ground and was smashed to pieces.
“My first reaction was to deny the facts”the boy’s father said, Guardian. “At first I was in shock”continued the father, “then I felt a little angry with him.” Panicked by the damage, the parents finally reassured the crying little boy and alerted a museum security guard.
The Museum of Art and Archaeology has a practice of avoiding barriers and display cases to make objects more accessible to visitors. The jar was displayed without any protection, which explains how the four-year-old was able to approach it. The museum wants to continue to display the works according to this practice, without additional protective elements.
The Hecht Museum hired an archaeology specialist to repair the jar, which is dated to between 2200 and 1500 B.C. It is a rare Bronze Age object, the museum says, as it is one of the few objects from that period to have been found intact. The artifact was used to transport wine and olive oil at the time. The jar is characteristic of the Canaan region, predating the time of King David and King Solomon.
The father expressed relief upon learning that the object could be restored, “even if he won’t really be the same anymore”The museum announced that the restoration work will be presented to the public.
The museum did not take any action against the family, which surprised the parents. “Instead of imposing fines or sanctions on us, they invited us to come back”the child’s father said. Since the incident was unintentional, the museum management did not consider it appropriate to call the police. The museum will organize a visit so that the family can see the restored artifact.
