A four year old boy accidentally shattered a rare bronze age jar that was on display at an archaeological museum in Haifa, Israel.
The 3,500-year-old ancient artefact had been on display near the entrance of the Hecht Museum without a glass case.
The child’s father told the BBC his son “pulled the jar slightly” because he was “curious about what was inside”. The man added that he was “in shock” to see his son beside the broken pieces and thought “it wasn’t my child that did it”.
“Despite the rare incident” the museum said it intends to continue displaying items “without barriers or glass walls” as it believes there is a “special charm” in showing archaeological finds “without obstructions”.
“There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police,” Lihi Laszlo from the museum told the BBC.
“In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly.”
The jar, which the museum believes dates between 2200 and 1500 BC, was most likely intended to be used to carry local supplies such as wine and olive oil. It was discovered during excavations in Samaria, in central Israel, and has been in the museum for 35 years.
The museum said the artefact was “an impressive find” because similar archaeological items unearthed during excavations are usually broken or incomplete.
An expert has been appointed to restore the jar and it will be displayed again “in a short time”, the museum said.
The boy’s father said they feel “relieved” to know the jar will be restored but they were apologetic as “it will no longer be the same item”.
However, the museum’s head Inbal Rivlin told Israeli news outlet Ynet that the boy and his mother have been invited back to the museum for a private tour.
“The museum is not a mausoleum but a living place, open to families (and) accessible. We are appealing to parents: Don’t be afraid. Things like this happen. We will fix (the jar) and put it back,” the museum head told Ynet.