An ancient seal amulet from the Middle Bronze Ages was spotted by a three-year-old on holiday with her family in Israel.
Ziv Nitzan Moshav Ramot Meir was walking to archaeological site Tel Azeka, an central Israel area of hills and valleys near Beit Shemesh and twenty five miles from Jerusalem.
Omer Nitzan, Ziv’s sister said: “We were walking along the path, and then Ziv bent down – and out of all the stones around her, she picked up this particular stone.
“When she removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find! We immediately reported this to the Israel Antiquities Authority.”
The seal from Tel Azka. Photo by Emil Aljam, Israel Antiquities Authority
Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, confirmed Ziv’s discovery was is a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age – dating to about 3,800 years ago.
She said: “Scarabs were used in this period as seals and as amulets. They were found in graves, in public buildings and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages that reflect religious beliefs or status.”
The scarab seals are tiny ornate objects, originating in ancient Egypt and designed in the shape of a dung beetle. This beetle, considered sacred in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, was a symbol of new life, because of the dung ball it created and then laid its eggs into it, from which new life would hatch.
From right to left: Prof. Oded Lipshitz, Nega Ziv, Omer Nitzan, and Simion Gendler. Photo by Emil Elgam, Israel Antiquities Authority.
Excavations at Tel Azeka, (described in the Book of Samuel as part of the biblical battle between David and Goliath), by Tel Aviv University have revealed city walls and agricultural installations from the days of the Judahite Kingdom.
Professor Oded Lipschits, the university’s archaeological dig director came to meet Ziv and her sisters at the site of the discovery and said: “We have been excavating here for almost 15 years, and the excavation findings show that during the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages, here in Tel Azekah, thrived one of the most important cities in the Judean Lowlands. The scarab found by Ziv joins a long list of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered here, which attest to the close ties and cultural influences between Canaan and Egypt during that period.”
Tel Azka – Aerial view. Photo by Emil Aljam, Israel Antiquities Authority
Israel’s minister of heritage, Amichai Eliyahu added: “The seal that little Ziv found during a family trip to Tel Azekah connects us to a grand story, that of the ancient civilisations that lived in this land thousands of years ago. The scarab also reminds us that in the Land of Israel, even children can be a part of discovering history.”
The ancient find will be included in a special display by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the new Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, alongside other finds from the days of Egypt and Canaan, most of which are being displayed for the first time.
