Israel museum boy breaks Bronze Age jar in Hecht Museum

A rare bronze-age jar dating back at least 3,500 years occupied the pride of place at the entrance of the Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, until it was accidentally smashed by a four-year-old boy earlier this week. However, the museum authorities, instead of imposing a fine or punishment, invited the boy to visit again, much to the surprise of his parents.

The museum authorities said the boy, Ariel Geller, was invited to visit the museum again to experience the hard work that goes into fixing artefacts.

“He’s not a kid that usually destroys things, he just wanted to see what was inside,” Alex Geller, the boy’s father, told The Associated Press.

Inbar Rivlin, the director of the museum associated with Haifa University in northern Israel, said it wanted to use the restoration of the jar, which is believed to date back to the era of King David and King Solomon, as an opportunity to educate the child.

The Hecht Museum is popular amongst locals as well as visitors. The museum has a tradition of keeping its artefacts open without any glass display cases or barriers.

“There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police,” said Rivlin, The Guardian reported.

“In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum,” he said.

On August 30, the family travelled from Nahariya, a town that has recently been caught in the Gaza war crossfire, to experience how experts repair the jar using 3D technology and high resolution videos.

Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs were fairly simple as the pieces were from a single, complete jar, AP reported.

Shafir went on to support the idea of open artefacts, adding that the experience could see a long-term interest in history and archaeology. “I like that people touch. Don’t break, but to touch things, it’s important,” Shafir told AP.