3-YEAR-OLD DISCOVERS 3,800-YEAR-OLD SCARAB AMULET DURING FAMILY HIKE
Many children love to explore and get their hands dirty, making them excellent candidates to be archaeologists. This is especially true for Ziv Nitzan, who is three years old. While travelling in Israel with her family, Ziv happened upon a distinctive rock that drew her attention. Upon careful examination, the stone was discovered to be an Egyptian amulet that dates back 3,800 years.
The discovery was made on a dirt trail at Tel Azekah, roughly 25 miles outside of Jerusalem. Realising that the young girl had not picked up a typical rock, Ziv's elder siblings showed their parents. The Israel Antiquities Authority thereafter received the item from the family. According to Ziv's mother, the toddler was drawn to the rock because "it had teeth on it."
According to Ziv's 11-year-old sister, Omer Nitzan, "we were strolling along the route when Ziv leaned down—and she picked up this particular stone out of all the stones around her." We noticed something was off when she rubbed it and took the sand off of it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realised we had discovered an archaeological find!”
Ancient Egypt is the birthplace of the scarab amulet, which dates to the Middle Bronze Age. The Canaanites, a Semitic-speaking society closely associated with Egyptian culture, are believed to have owned the amulet. Among other ornamental items, they frequently imported Egyptian jewels to wear as personal amulets. The stone that Ziv discovered was probably made in Egypt and then transported to present-day Israel.
The amulet's design was influenced by dung beetles (Scarabaeus sacer), which are known to form dung balls and then lay their eggs inside of them to give the appearance that fresh life has emerged.In ancient Egypt, these creatures were regarded as a sacred symbol of new life, with their name in Egyptian deriving from the verb “to come into being,” or “to be created.”
According to a statement from Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, an authority on ancient seals and amulets, "scarabs were utilised in this period as seals and as amulets." They were discovered in private residences, public structures, and tombs. They occasionally display statements and symbols that allude to status or religious convictions.
IAA spokesman Yoli Schwartz told The New York Times that Ziv is now regarded as the youngest youngster to have found an ancient relic in Israel. Researchers gave Ziv and her family a "good citizen certificate" for turning it over to the police, even though they didn't think it was a particularly remarkable discovery because other parts of a similar nature had turned out to be in better shape. As a result, the amulet will be part of an upcoming exhibition of Canaanite and Egyptian artefacts in Jerusalem.
