The jug (circled) before being broken. Photo courtesy of Hecht Museum.
A 3,500-year-old jug at the Hecht Museum in Haifa that was accidentally destroyed by a 5-year-old boy in August has been restored and is back on display.
A family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the Bronze Age jar, which was on display for 35 years. It smashed into many pieces.
The boy’s father, Alex Geller, said that his son was often very curious and when he heard the crash, he immediately thought, “Please let that not be my child.”
Experts used 3D technology, high-resolution videos and special glue to carefully reconstruct the ancient artifact, which was found in a Samaria dig.
“It predates the days of [King] David and King Solomon, is typical of the Canaanite region and was intended for storing and transporting local consumption, mainly wine and olive oil,” said the Hecht Museum, located on the University of Haifa campus on Mount Carmel.
Ironically, what made the jug so special and unusual was that it was whole, “that it wasn’t found in pieces but as one complete unit, of impressive size,” museum head Inbal Rivlin told Ynet on Aug. 28.
“It’s not to say there aren’t other jugs like this, but it’s indeed rare,” she added.
Due to its excellent condition, the museum chose to place it at the entrance, where it had stood without incident for 35 years, in keeping with the philosophy of the museum’s founder, Reuben Hecht, who established the museum 40 years ago and wanted items to be as accessible as possible.
Rivlin invited the Geller family back to the museum for a visit and a hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
She said it was a welcome distraction from the war in Gaza, adding, “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world.”
Less than two weeks after it broke the jar is back on display, with only a few small hairline cracks and a few missing pieces, but otherwise back to its original large size and completeness. The only difference is that this time there is a sign reading, “Please don’t touch.”
