Israel, in a museum child plays with 3,500-year-old jar and breaks it, shattering it to smithereens

A four-year-old boy plays inside a museum and breaks a 3,500-year-old jar. It happened at the Hecht Museum in Haifa , Israel, which told the BBC about the incident. The artifact (rare, moreover, because it was intact) was on display near the museum’s entrance, with no protective glass, as is the case with several archaeological museums. The child’s father recounted that the little boy pulled the jar toward him because he was “curious to know what it contained”: the gesture caused the artifact to fall and shatter.

The father was in shock to see the child near the fragments of the jar and initially thought that he did not cause the disaster: after calming the little one down, the parent turned to one of the security staff to clarify the terms of the incident. “There are cases where exhibits are intentionally damaged and these cases are dealt with very severely, even involving the police,” Lihi Laszlo, one of the museum staff, told the BBC. “In this case, however, the situation is different. The jar was accidentally damaged by a child visiting the museum, and the response will be proportionate.” A specialist has also already been identified to restore the artifact, and he has assured the jar’s return to the museum “in a short time.”

For his part, the father said he was relieved by the news that the jar can be restored, but added that he was sorry because “the object will never be the same.” Despite the incident, however, the Hecht Museum has let it be known that it has no plans to add barriers or glass to protect the artifacts as large as the ancient jars, which date back to a period in Israel’s history that predates the biblical kings David and Solomon.

Israel, in a museum child plays with 3,500-year-old jar and breaks it, shattering it to smithereens

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.