An eight-year-old boy accidentally uncovered a rare ancient artefact believed to date back nearly 2,000 years while out on a family hike.
Dor Wolynitz spotted the object during a trip to the Ramon Crater region in Israel, where he had been searching the ground for unusual items to show his classmates.
The youngster noticed what appeared to be a striped stone lying on the ground and decided to pick it up, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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Dor later explained: “It seemed like an unusual object to me, so I showed it to Akiva, an archaeologist and my Dad’s friend, who was with us on our trip.”
The family friend, archaeologist Akiva Goldenhersh, quickly realised the find could be significant.
“At first I thought it was a fossil,” he said. “But then I noticed the sculpted folds of the garment, and I was very excited.”
Experts later identified the object as a fragment of a small statuette dating back around 1,700 to 2,000 years to the Roman era.
The piece, measuring roughly 6cm by 6cm, appears to show part of a human figure draped in a cloak with carefully carved folds.
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According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the artefact was crafted from phosphorite – a mineral commonly found in the Negev desert region – suggesting it may have been made locally rather than imported.
Archaeologists believe the figure could depict Jupiter or Zeus-Dushara, a deity linked to both Nabatean and Greek-Roman traditions.
The find was made near the ancient Spice Route, which once connected trade routes from the Far East to Mediterranean ports and saw heavy Roman and Nabatean traffic centuries ago.
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Following the discovery, Dor handed the artefact over to Israel’s National Treasures Department so it could be preserved and studied further.
He later received a certificate from the Israel Antiquities Authority recognising his actions.
Goldenhersh praised the youngster and his family for reporting the discovery properly.
He said: “Every archaeological find is part of our joint heritage in this country.”
Israel’s Heritage Minister, Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, also praised the discovery, saying it showed “how much history is right under our feet”.
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