‘Rock’ spotted on school trip turns out to be 3,500-year-old find, Israeli experts say
A group of “enthusiastic” first graders kept their eyes fixed on the ground while on a school trip in Israel. Picking up random stones or other objects, they hoped to find something ancient — and one student succeeded.
Hanna Spitzer, a first grade teacher in Efrat, took her class on a school trip to Tel Azekah, an archaeological park about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a June 15 news release.
When the class arrived at the park, Spitzer showed them a piece of pottery and taught them about the ancient site, the release said.
“The children were so enthusiastic that throughout the whole trip they themselves picked up all kinds of objects and rocks that looked ancient,” Spitzer said in the release.
Near the end of the field trip, Spitzer noticed a pair of students falling behind. “I went back to see what was holding them up, and one of them, Amalia Riverkin, told me that she had found something,” the teacher said.
The first grader was holding “a tiny rock that looked like a bead,” Spitzer said. Photos show the small, grayish item in the palm of someone’s hand.
“I looked at it closely and saw incised lines,” Spitzer said. “I turned it over and saw ancient Egyptian writing. At that moment I realized that what I was holding in my hand was thousands of years old. It’s crazy!”
Archaeologists identified the item as a 3,500-year-old scarab seal or “talisman,” the release said.
Spitzer explained to Amalia that she “found something unique, and since it is so special, you can’t take it home,” the teacher told officials. “At first she had a hard time with it, but she understood and she was curious to discover what the object actually was.”
Liora Freud, an archaeologist with Tel Aviv University and excavation coordinator at Tel Azekah, told officials more about the seal.
“It dates to the time of the New Egyptian Kingdom (16th to 11th centuries B.C.) and it bears the name of the sun god Amun-Ra, who was one of the most important gods in Egypt during this period,” Freud said in the release. Five — now six — such scarab seals have been found at Tel Azekah, she said.
Photos show the back of the seal where it has an intricately carved hieroglyphic inscription.
Spitzer gave the seal to the Israel Antiquities Authority who presented Amalia with a discovery certificate and taught the class about the artifact, officials said.
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 12:47 PM with the headline "‘Rock’ spotted on school trip turns out to be 3,500-year-old find, Israeli experts say."
