Ziv Nitzan found an ancient Canaanite scarab amulet at Tel Azekah, the site where the Bible says David defeated Goliath.
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityThree-year-old Ziv Nitzan found an ancient Canaanite amulet while hiking in Israel with her family.
During a family trip to Tel Azekah in Israel, a three-year-old girl came across a 3,800-year-old Canaanite amulet. The archaeological site is mentioned in the Bible as the location of the battle between David and the Philistine giant Goliath.
The stone artifact depicts scarabs, beetles sacred to ancient Egyptians, adding to the long list of evidence that attests to the close cultural ties between Canaan and Egypt during the Bronze Age.
A Toddler Finds An Ancient Amulet Lying On The Ground
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe Canaanite artifact depicts scarabs, which were commonly used on seals and amulets in ancient times.
Ziv Nitzan of Moshav Ramot Meir, Israel, was on a hike with her parents and two older sisters at the foot of the hill where Tel Azekah stands when she found what seemed to be an odd-shaped stone. When her family got a closer look, however, they realized it was no stone at all.
“We were walking along the path, and then Ziv bent down — and out of all the stones around her, she picked up this particular stone,” her sister Omer said, according to a Facebook post by the Israel Antiquities Authority. “When she rubbed it and removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find! We immediately reported this to the Israel Antiquities Authority.”
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe other side of the amulet.
Ziv was awarded a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship after her family reported the discovery. The scarab amulet was then handed over to the IAA and will soon be included in a special display for Passover at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, alongside other finds from ancient Egypt and Canaan.
Meanwhile, experts examined the scarab amulet that Ziv found and have released more information about the artifact’s history.
Experts Identify The Amulet As A 3,800-Year-Old Canaanite Artifact
Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, examined the artifact and determined it to be a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age.
“Scarabs were used in this period as seals and amulets,” she said, per the IAA announcement. “They were found in graves, in public buildings, and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages that reflect religious beliefs or status.”
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityThree-year-old Ziv holds her discovery.
Scarab seals originated in ancient Egypt. They were designed in the shape of dung beetles, which were considered sacred to the culture. The creatures were seen as symbols of new life because of the dung balls they created and laid their eggs in, thus giving way to children or “new life.”
The Egyptian name for the beetle, hprr, also means “rising from, come into being itself.” Scarabs were seen as a symbol of the incarnation of God the Creator, and the amulet’s proximity to a Biblical site only makes the discovery that much more fascinating.
Tel Azekah, The Location Where David Fought Goliath
In the Book of Samuel (Samuel 1 17:1), Tel Azekah is explicitly named as the location of the battle between David and the giant Goliath. Today, it is a highly important archaeological site that has been undergoing excavations for over a decade.
“We have been excavating here for almost 15 years, and the excavation findings show that during the Middle Bronze and Late Bronze Ages, here in Tel Azekah, thrived one of the most important cities in the Judean Lowlands,” said Professor Oded Lipschits, director of the Tel Aviv University archaeological dig. Lipschits also traveled out to meet Ziv and her family after the discovery.
Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities AuthorityAn aerial view of the Tel Azekah archaeological site.
“The scarab found by Ziv joins a long list of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered here, which attest to the close ties and cultural influences between Canaan and Egypt during that period,” he added.
IAA director Eli Escusido also offered praise to Ziv and her family for the discovery. “Thanks to her, everyone will be able to see it and enjoy it,” he said.
Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu echoed this sentiment, stating, “The seal that little Ziv found during a family trip to Tel Azekah connects us to a grand story, that of the ancient civilizations that lived in this land thousands of years ago. The scarab Ziv found also reminds us that in the Land of Israel, even children can be a part of discovering history.”
After reading about the Canaanite amulet found by a toddler in Israel, learn about Moloch, the alleged Canaanite god of child sacrifice. Or, discover 44 interesting facts about ancient Egypt.
