Boy accidentally destroys 3,500-year-old artifact in Israeli museum

A boy on a visit to a museum in Israel accidentally knocked over a 3,500-year-old jar, shattering the relic. 

"There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police," Lihi Laszlo of the Hecht Museum told the BBC. 

"In this case, however, this was not the situation," Laszlo said. "The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly."

The jar dated to the Bronze Age, between 2200 and 1500 B.C. — predating the time of Kings David and Solomon — and it was totally intact, making it a rare find and valuable artifact. Experts have speculated that the jar likely carried local supplies, such as wine and olive oil.

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A young preschooler accidentally shattered a nearly 3,500-year-old jar that was not behind glass at the Hecht Museum in Haifa. (Hecht Museum)

The museum, located in Haifa, had put the piece on display near the entrance and without protection to show a piece "without obstructions."

The boy had pulled on the jar to find out what was inside, and that caused it to fall over, shattering to pieces. The museum immediately appointed a specialist in conservation to restore the jar, which will return to its place near the front entrance once completed.

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The 3,500-year-old jar was accidentally smashed by a reported 4-year-old boy visiting the Hecht Museum last Friday. (Hecht Museum)

The museum insisted that the piece will also return without obstructions. 

Israeli museums are no stranger to incidents that destroy priceless works: An American tourist allegedly smashed a sculpture in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in October last year. 

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The Hecht Museum did not place the 3,500-year-old jar behind glass, believing there is a "special charm" to showing historical finds without obstructions. (Hecht Museum)

The tourist allegedly destroyed a pair of Roman statues dating from the 2nd Century because they were "against the Torah." His lawyer, however, denied that he had acted out of "religious fanaticism." 

One statue depicted Athena, daughter of Zeus, and the other depicted a griffin grasping the wheel of fate of the Roman god Nemesis, according to The Times of Israel.

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Police arrested the tourist at the scene, identifying him only as a 40-year-old Jewish American tourist.