Museum reacted coolly

Boy destroys 3500-year-old jug in Israel

Jars in the Hecht Museum in Israel

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/elenarostunova)

A four-year-old boy has destroyed a 3500-year-old jug in a museum in the Israeli city of Haifa. The museum reacted calmly and invited the child and his family back. They could now view the restored piece, it said.

"There are cases in which exhibits are deliberately damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including the involvement of the police," said Inbal Rivlin, director of the Hecht Museum. "However, this was not the case in this instance. The jug was accidentally damaged by a small child (...) and the response will be appropriate."

"A nice way to process the experience"
The family had agreed to visit the museum again this weekend. A tour will be organized for them to come to terms with the shared experience in a beautiful way, the museum said. 

There are cases where exhibits are deliberately damaged and such cases are treated with great severity, including the involvement of the police.

Inbal Rivlin, Leiterin des Hecht Museums

The damaged vessel dates back to the Middle Bronze Age between 2200 and 1500 BC, making it at least 3500 years old. "Similar vessels have been found in archaeological excavations, but most of them turned out to be broken or incomplete," Rivlin said.

No glass walls
The museum usually exhibits objects without barriers or glass walls. It believes that experiencing archaeological finds unhindered has a special appeal. This should not change even after the incident.