The Hecht Museum in Haifa, Israel, has reminded us in a most graphic way that anyone can instantly shatter 3,500 years of history with a simple touch—literally. That’s what recently happened to one of the Bronze Age jars on display in its rooms. In a moment, a piece revered by archaeologists for its age and exceptional preservation became a ceramic jigsaw puzzle.
The culprit: A child that the museum has already invited to return.
“It wasn’t my child.” That’s what Alex thought when he saw his 4-year-old son standing next to a broken ancient jar during a recent visit to the Hecht Museum in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. “It wasn’t my child that did it,” he told the BBC in an interview.
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Was it that bad? If you look at how the piece ended up, yes—it’s really bad. According to archaeologists’ estimates, the shattered jar was at least 3,500 years old, dating it to between 2200 and 1500 B.C. They believe it predates the reigns of David and King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. People used it to store and transport valuable liquids like wine or olive oil.
Ancient and well-preserved. In addition to its age, the jar stood out for another reason: its state of preservation. Unlike other pieces of pottery that archaeologists often find in a deteriorated state, the Haifa jar has surprisingly survived the millennia. And that’s no small thing.
“Similar jars have been found in archaeological excavations, but most were found broken or incomplete,” Hecht Museum director Inbal Rivlin explains in a press release. “The jar on display at the Hecht Museum, however, was intact, and its size made it an impressive find, positioned at the entrance of the museum.”
A sum of factors. Due to several factors, the piece now rests broken in a restorer’s workshop. One is the child’s curiosity, who, according to his father, “pulled the jar slightly” to see what was inside. The other is the museum’s philosophy and how it exhibits its collection.
According to the BBC, CNN, and the Israeli media outlet Ynet, officials have recently emphasized that the institution believes that pieces such as the Bronze Age ceramic jar should be within reach of visitors whenever possible. The museum exhibited this piece without a display case near the entrance to the museum—right at the fingertips of Alex’s son.
Experiencing ancient artifacts. The museum argues that there is a “special charm” in showing archaeological finds “without obstructions.” The institution was founded by Reuben Hecht in 1984 to house millennia-old pieces dating back to the Bronze Age in its halls at the University of Haifa. It acknowledged its unique policy when speaking to the BBC: “Whenever possible, items are displayed without barriers or glass walls.”
The poor jar had been in the museum for 35 years, so what happened was a “rare incident.” As such, it doesn’t seem that the museum is willing to change its approach, inspired by the founder. “The museum is not a mausoleum, but a living place, open to families with children,” the director emphasized to Ynet, according to an English translation provided by Google. “I would like to address them: don’t be afraid. These things happen. We will repair the jar,” she added.
Solution: restoration and signs. Although the boy’s father admitted to the BBC that he was “shocked” to see what happened, all indications are that the incident won’t have significant consequences for him or his son. “There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police,” the museum authorities explain. “This was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly,” they stated.
The institution has already chosen a specialist to restore the jar so that it can return to the museum’s halls “shortly,” a solution the boy’s parents are “relieved” to see. Rivlin says that she will use the incident to educate the public: The museum will have new signs informing visitors which objects they can and cannot touch. She also insists that families “prepare their children” before visiting the museum.
Museum officials have also invited the boy and his parents to return to the center to see the jar once it has been restored.
This isn’t a rare case. It’s not the first time a visitor has been shocked by a misstep and damaged a work of art or an ancient piece on display in a museum. In 2016, two children destroyed a sculpture at the Shanghai Museum of Glass. At the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, a visitor accidentally broke part of an exhibition in 2017. In 2010, a woman lost her balance at The Met and fell on Picasso’s painting The Actor.
Image | Wikimedia
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