Why? Why?
Posted on 08/28/2024 5:42:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A curious four-year-old boy visiting the Hecht Museum in Israel with his family inadvertently smashed a jar that predates the time of Biblical main characters King David and King Solomon.
The boy’s father told the BBC that his son was simply “curious about what was inside,” so he pulled at the large piece of ceramic crockery to get a better look.
To the family’s credit, they quickly owned up to the boy’s folly and spoke to a nearby security guard. To the museum’s credit, Dr. Inbal Rivlin, the institution’s general director, invited the boy and his family to visit the museum again and to see the repaired jar. According to a museum spokesperson, the invitation was accepted and the family will return to the museum this weekend for a personal tour.
The jar was on display without the protection of a glass barrier near the museum’s entrance. The museum’s founder, Dr. Reuven Hecht, believed that the public should be able to appreciate relics without the encumbrance of glass walls and barriers. A representative of the museum told ARTnews that, “despite the rare incident with the jar, the Hecht Museum will continue this tradition.”
A restorer has already been called in, Roy Shafir of the University of Haifa’s School of Archaeology and Marine Cultures. Since the jar had been on display and has plenty of photographic documentation, the museum expects the conservation work to be without issue.
The jar is dated to the Middle Bronze Age, between 2200-1500 BCE, and originally was intended for the storage and transport of local supplies like wine and olive oil. Similar jars have been found in archaeological excavations, the museum said, but most were found broken or incomplete.
Why? Why?
Ping. :(
Kids will break things. Why do they put invaluable objects in breaking distance of kids?
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Why wasn’t it encased?
Thanks Diana in Wisconsin!
I’d honestly be fine with looking at perfect replicas, so it’s not a big loss when accidents happen.
Oh, you were already on it! I should of figured. ;)
A four year old can actually be wondering if anyone had looked inside it to see if anything was overlooked by others.
Modern times. Break something priceless and get invited back for a private tour. Why?
Everyone gets defended. Museum left this out so a 4 year old could break it.
Parents didn’t watch their kid.
I must say that displaying such a fragile antique without even the normal glass to protect it, is reckless. I gather from the article that it was the donator’s wish. I greatly respect that but it is still reckless. As we see from this incident. If a little 4 year old child can wreck your exhibit, you haven’t exhibited it properly.
Very nice of the museum how they are handling the situation.
There’s a geezer or two out there that can break things too!
It could have at least had some kind of brace.
yes, or something
“Why? Why?”
“Free range” parenting.
At least no one asked the kid if it were full of Hot Wheels cars.
So, sure. I can see it.
The kid is standing a couple of feet away from it, four years old, mouth open, staring intently at The Ancient Jar. Dad turns to see his four year old son standing there gazing at it...
DAD: Whaddy'a think, Billy? Are there any Hot Wheels hiding in there? (turns and snickers to wife)
FOUR YEAR OLD BOY: (inaudible)
DAD: No! No! No! No! No!...
It does come back to: Who agreed to put that thing there with no protection, and is a museum like that any place to bring a four year old kid to?
Can't blame the kid at that age. He's just doing what four year old boys do.
It’s should have.
It’ll buff right out.
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