Holy scarab!
While on a family outing to Tel Azekah in Israel last month, 3-year-old Ziv Nitzan stumbled upon an ancient scarab amulet dating back 3,800 years as she walked along a trail with her family.
Daphna Ben-Tor, a specialist in ancient amulets and seals, later verified that it was a Canaanite scarab dating back to the Middle Bronze Age.
Tel Azekah, where the toddler unearthed the dung beetle-shaped artifact, is a well-known archaeological site in Israel’s Shephelah area where excavations have taken place for a little over a decade.
If Azekah sounds familiar, it is significant in the biblical tale of David and Goliath from the First Book of Samuel.
On April 2, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) shared on Facebook that the young resident Nitzan of Ramot Meir had come across the important item.
In a statement shared in the social media post, the child’s older sister, Omer, recalled, “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.”
Omer continued, “When she rubbed it and removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it.”
Omer then called her parents to “come see the beautiful stone,” and the family realized they had “discovered an archaeological find.”
They then “immediately reported this” to the IAA.
Expert Ben-Tor revealed the significance behind the item, as seen in the aforementioned Facebook post.
She explained that Canaanite scarabs were used in the Middle Bronze Age as seals and amulets, found in “graves, in public buildings and in private homes.”
Sometimes, they bear “symbols and messages that reflect religious beliefs or status,” she added.
Scarab beetles, as Ben-Tor noted, held sacred status in ancient Egypt, symbolizing new life. This belief stemmed from their habit of laying eggs in dung balls.
Notably, the Egyptian word for scarab comes from the verb meaning “to come into being” or “to be created.”
Upon hearing about this major discovery, Oded Lipschits from Tel Aviv University, who has been overseeing the archaeological excavation at Tel Azeka, met with Ziv and the Nitzan family.
He noted, as seen in the Facebook statement, that his team had been digging at the site for 15 years.
Discoveries like this, he said, indicate that Tel Azeka was one of the most significant cities in the Judean Lowlands during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages.
Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu, as per the post, agreed that the intricate seal that the child noticed “connects us to a grand story.”
“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,” Lipschits said.
Over the past month, Ziv was honored with a certificate for outstanding citizenship.
The ancient charm that the child brought to light will be showcased with other historical artifacts from Egypt and Canaan in a unique Passover exhibit in Jerusalem.
The IAA has organized this exhibit at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel.
Many of these items, dating back to the days of Egypt and Canaan, will be on public display for the first time.
IAA director Eli Escusido said that thanks to little Ziv, “everyone will be able to see and enjoy” this special scarab addition.