- Young individual demolishes ancient 3500-year-old vessel, Museum maintains composure.
During a trip to the Haifa museum in Israel, a young kid, just 4 years old, did what kids tend to do sometimes – cause an accident. Unfortunately, this time, it involved damaging an ancient exhibit that's been around for centuries. Instead of calling the cops, the museum decided to invite the kid back for another tour.
Inbal Rivlin, the museum's director, explained to news agency DPA, "Usually, when exhibits get damaged deliberately, we deal with it severely, often involving the police. But this wasn't that kind of incident. A tiny mishap happened with a fragile piece due to a young visitor's curiosity."
Haifa Museum Chooses to Display Artifacts Without Barriers
The kid and his family have agreed to visit the museum again this weekend for a tour, where they'll get to see the restored artifact. According to Rivlin, the visit will help them process the situation positively. The museum didn't share more details about the incident.
The artifact, as per the museum's statement, dates back to the Middle Bronze Age, around 2200 to 1500 BCE, making it over 3500 years old. Rivlin added, "While we've found similar artifacts in excavations, most of them were either broken or incomplete. This one was intact and was quite a find due to its size."
The museum has a policy of making archaeological artifacts accessible to the public, and they often display them without any barriers or glass walls. "We believe there's a special charm in experiencing an ancient find without any hindrance," said Rivlin, confirming that this policy will remain in place.
Despite the museum's policy of displaying artifacts without barriers, this led to a unique situation where a young visitor accidentally damaged a rare artifact. Despite being over 3500 years old and highly valuable, the museum chose not to involve the police and instead opted for a more educational approach, inviting the child back for a tour.
