Hannah Spitzer, a first grade teacher at the Alumim school in Efrat, went on the annual trip to Tel Azzaka with her classmates. At the beginning of the trip, the teacher told the students that they were in a very special and ancient place, and because of this, they might find ancient and special things on the surface, but she did not imagine that her prophecy would come true.
"As an example," Hannah says, "I picked up ancient pottery from the floor. The children were so excited that during the whole trip they picked up all kinds of objects and stones that look ancient." Towards the end of the trip, Hannah noticed that two of her students had been left behind. "I went back to see what the delay meant, and one of them, Amalia Riverkin, told me she had found something and presented me with a tiny stone that looked like a bead." Hannah, who has a master's degree in Jewish art, immediately recognized that this was not "just another stone." "I looked at it closely and saw grooves. I turned it over, and saw the ancient Egyptian script. At that moment I realized that what I was holding was thousands of years old. It's crazy."
The excited teacher contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority, where they confirmed that it was a scarab - a talisman in the shape of a dung beetle, the kind that sometimes served as a seal, which is evidence of Egyptian rule in our region some 3,500 years ago.
Omer Shalev, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority's educational center, came especially to the school to present Amalia with a certificate of appreciation, in addition to an enrichment lesson he gave her classmates about the unique find she found.
The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Ministry of Heritage see the find as a fitting opening to an operation called "Ancient Find from Pigs with a Click," which will begin next week (June 15-5), which aims to encourage people to return antiquities found in their homes to the state.
"Many people keep antiquities in their private homes that came into their possession under different circumstances," explains Eli Escozido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "The campaign seeks citizens' partnership in restoring antiquities to the natural and legal place of our heritage assets."
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