Imagine walking along a simple country path with your kids only for one of them to rummage around in some stone and return with an ancient amulet . This unlikely experience , which sounds like the setup to a movie , in reality happened to a family during a trip-up to Tel Azekah , near Beit Shemesh , Israel .
It become out the stone that 3.5 - year - old Ziv had feel was actually a 3,800 - year - old Canaanite scarab sealskin from the Middle Bronze Age . These seals were flowery object that originated inancient Egypt , where the dung mallet had symbolic and sacred meaning . Due to their ability to roll balls of dung that became a billet to lay their eggs and then a source of food for thought for their youthful , these beetles became symbolisation of rebirth , the bicycle of life , and the movement of the Sun in the sky . In fact , their name in Egyptian derives from the verb “ to come into being ” or “ to be created ” .
yield this herculean set of meanings , scarabaeus were a pop image witness on amulets , seals , and other form of jewellery , especially during the time when Ziv ’s seal was created .
“ Scarabs were used in this flow as seals and as talisman . They were happen in graves , in public building and in individual home base . Sometimes they bear symbols and subject matter , that reflect spiritual beliefs or status , ” Dr Daphna Ben - Tor , an expert in ancient talisman and seals , noted .
This peculiar specimen was discovered at the human foot of Tel Azekah , a important archaeologic tel – a mound or small Benny Hill build up over several centuries of occupation – near Beit Shemesh . In this tel , archaeologists have find evidence of many changing acculturation from across account , including find date to the Kingdom of Judah , including city wall , Department of Agriculture installations , and more . Tel Azekah was also known as a key feature in the biblical conflict between David and Goliath ( Samuel I 17:1 ) .
“ We have been excavating here for almost 15 days , and the dig finding show that during the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages , here in Tel Azekah , thrived one of the most important urban center in the Judean Lowlands , ” Professor Oded Lipschits , director of the Tel Aviv University archaeological shaft , explained .
Lipschits actually give-up the ghost to meet Ziv and her family at the tel where the scarab was found .
“ The scarab found by Ziv joins a long inclination of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered here , which attest to the close tie and cultural influence between Canaan and Egypt during that period . ”
According to Israeli Minister of Heritage , Amichai Eliyahu , “ The cachet that slight Ziv find during a family stumble to Tel Azekah join us to a high-minded story , that of the ancient civilization that exist in this land thousand of old age ago . The scarab Ziv find also reminds us that in the Land of Israel , even children can be a part of discovering history . ”
Ziv has since been present a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship for handing over the breakthrough , which will now be included in a special showing forPassoverat the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel .
