A museum in Israel has faced a surprise backlash after a young child accidentally broke a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age vase during a visit.
The Hecht Museum in Haifa explains BBC The pottery, dating from between 2200 and 1500 BC, was displayed near the entrance without any safes or other protection because the museum believed there was a “particular appeal” in displaying the incredible archaeological discoveries in an “unobstructed” manner, it said.
Alex, the father of the four-year-old boy who smashed the antique find, recalled his son inspecting the jar and “pulling it gently because he was curious about what was inside”. When the piece toppled over, Alex was “in shock” and initially thought “it wasn't my child who did this”.
After calming the young man down, Alex went to speak to a security guard about the accident. In a heartwarming development, the museum did not punish Alex or his son, but instead invited the whole family back to the museum in a few days to take a guided tour of the exhibit.
“There are cases where exhibits are deliberately damaged and such cases are treated with great seriousness, including by the police,” said Lihi Laszlo of the University of Haifa, which runs the Hecht Museum.
“However, this was not the case in this case,” Laszlo continued. “The jar was accidentally damaged by a small child visiting the museum and a response will be given accordingly.”
In other good news, the museum reported that conservationists are currently restoring the Bronze Age artefact. When Alex and his family return to view the exhibition, the urn is expected to take its place at the entrance to the facility. Alex said he would be “relieved” to see the urn restored, but added that his family were “sad” because they realised “it won't be the same anymore”.
The Haifa Museum said that “wherever possible, works are displayed without barriers or glass walls” and that it does not plan to change its policies “despite this rare event”.
BBC The jar may have been used to carry items such as olive oil and wine. It predates the biblical King David and King Solomon and is native to the Canaan region on the eastern Mediterranean coast.