3,500-year-old artifact found by 12-year-old hiker in Israel

© Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto/Pexels

Imagine yourself taking a leisurely stroll with your family on a weekend, and by chance you stumble upon a valuable historical artifact from ancient times. That's exactly what happened to 12-year-old hiker Dafna Filshteiner, who spotted a tiny object during her hike that turned out to be a precious relic from ancient Egypt in the Tel Aviv area.

A remarkable intuition in the face of a thousand-year-old treasure

While her mother considered the object to be a simple decorative pebble, Dafna Filshteiner persisted in her investigations. Her internet searches confirmed her suspicions, prompting her to contact the Israel Antiquities Authority, the government agency responsible for protecting, studying, and managing the country's archaeological heritage.

Her instincts were right: the object turned out to be an Egyptian scarab amulet dating back 3,500 years. Because, yes, Egyptian influence extended over several centuries, with periods of more or less marked domination, from the Middle Kingdom (around 2055-1650 BC) to the New Kingdom (around 1550-1075 BC).

Dafna Filshteiner with the little amulet in hand. © Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority

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More than just a scarab

The analysis conducted by Yitzhak Paz (expert from the Bronze Age to the Israel Antiquities Authority) on the amulet proves that the object contained a strong symbolic power. In ancient Egypt, the scarab was considered a sacred symbol representing rebirth and creation, associated with the god Khepri, and was often used as an amulet to bring protection and good fortune. “ The scarab is certainly a distinct Egyptian feature, but its wide distribution extended well beyond the borders of Egypt. It could have been left by an important and influential person passing through the region, or it could have been deliberately buried ” he explains.

The copy found by Dafna displays a complex iconography: two scorpions arranged head to tail, the hieroglyph ” nefer ” meaning ” good ” or “ chosen ,” and a motif reminiscent of a royal scepter. In Egyptian mythology, scorpions represented the goddess Serket, protector of pregnant women. This piece has been dated to the New Kingdom, a period during which the pharaohs waged numerous military campaigns to subdue local city-states and consolidate Egyptian power.

The Israel Antiquities Authority awarded young Dafna and her family a Certificate of Excellence for their exemplary civic-mindedness. The scarab, now housed in the National Archives, will be on display at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, allowing the public to admire this unique testimony to the relationship between ancient Egypt and the regions of the Levant.

• A 12-year-old girl has found a 3,500-year-old Egyptian scarab amulet near Tel Aviv.
• The ornate scarab depicts sacred motifs related to creation and protection.
• The amulet will be on public display at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel.

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