Five-year-old child breaks 3,500-year-old amphora in Israeli museum

A child accidentally broke an ancient Bronze Age amphora in an Israeli museum that is at least 3,500 years old, the BBC Russian Service reports .

An incident with an extremely rare artifact occurred in the Hecht Museum in Haifa. They said the amphora was a valuable exhibit. The jug was made no earlier than 2200 and no later than 1500 BC. At the same time, the vessel has survived to this day almost in its original form.

The amphora in question was displayed at the entrance to the museum and was not protected in any way, as the museum believes that such a display of archaeological finds has a “special charm”.

Museum representatives note that the child broke the amphora by accident and call the incident an unfortunate incident. They emphasized that neither the child nor his family will face any sanctions.

"Sometimes exhibits are damaged intentionally, and such cases are treated very strictly, including with the involvement of the police. However, in this case, things were different. The jug was accidentally damaged by a small child visiting the museum, and the reaction will be appropriate," the museum representative assured the publication.

Now specialists will be engaged in the restoration of the amphora, and the family of the boy who broke the vessel has been invited to visit the exhibition again, but this time as part of an organized excursion.

The Hecht Museum is an archaeological museum located on the campus of the University of Haifa. It exhibits archaeological finds and works of art. The museum's management said that the incident with the broken amphora will not affect its current practice and that it will continue "to the extent possible to exhibit exhibits without barriers and glass walls."

To get the main news faster, subscribe to our telegram and twitter .