An Israeli man out for a hike with his family found a tiny white object at the Horns of Hattin in the Lower Galilee which turned out to be a 3,500-year-old Egyptian seal in the form of a scarab, the Antiquities Authority told the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel Thursday.
Amit Haklai, a farmer from Kfar Hittim, reportedly spotted the engraved, beetle-shaped object while on an excursion with his children at the site of the twin peaks. Upon noticing the shape of the item, and the fact that it bore engraved decorations, he contacted the Antiquities Authority.
After analyzing the artifact, Dr. Dafna Ben-Tor, curator of Ancient Egypt at the Israel Museum, identified the seal as a scarab amulet from the New Kingdom period, the era in Egyptian history from 16th century BCE to 11th century BCE that spanned the 18th through 20th dynasties.
Dr. Ben-Tor explained to the Post that the scarab depicts Thutmose III, the sixth Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, seated on his throne alongside his name. Thutmose ruled Egypt from 1379 BCE to 1425 BCE and is said to be one of the great warrior pharaohs, having waged multiple successful military campaigns and expanded his empire into the lands of Canaan and Nubia.
Artifact likely originated from a 13th century BCE fortress
The scarab, which was shaped like a dung beetle, would have had “cosmological significance in ancient Egypt,” the Post explained. They are frequently unearthed by archaeologists during their excavations, and were used as amulets, personal seals, or to commemorate royal achievements.
Dr. Miki Saban, director of national treasures at the Israel Antiquities Authority, emphasized that it was “extremely important” that anyone findings such artifacts contact the agency. Such objects “enrich the archaeological knowledge about the country” and should be put on display so that the general public and see them.
According to Arutz Sheva, the site where Haklai discovered the scarab, the Horns of Hattin, is a well-known historical site. It was the location of the Battle of Hattin, which occurred in 1187 and pitted the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem against the forces of Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt.
Some 2,000 years before that battle, it was home to a fortress that was destroyed during the 13th century BCE, and Antiquities Authority archaeologist Yardena Alexander said that, even though the seal was found on the surface and not as part of an archaeological dig, it likely came from the same era as that fallen fortress.
Haklai, who was presented with an award for his discovery, told reporters, “It is important that my children grow up with a strong connection to their land and to the antiquities of our country.”
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Feature Image: Israel Antiques Authority
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