During a recent family trip to Tel Azekah, a 3.5-year-old girl picked up a beautiful stone, which turned out to be a 3,800-year-old scarab. The family turned it over to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), who called upon experts to analyze it. Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, concluded the seal was a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age. In the IAA press release, Dr. Ben-Tor is quoted as saying, “Scarabs were used in this period as seals and as amulets. They were found in graves, in public buildings and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages, that reflect religious beliefs or status.” Tel Azekah, located near Beit Shemesh, is named in the biblical story of David and Goliath, as the Philistine army was stationed between Socoh and Azekah (1 Sam. 17:1). Excavations have revealed that Tel Azekah was a significant site throughout the Middle Bronze, Late Bronze, and Iron Age periods.
Sources:
- https://www.iaa.org.il/en/page/news-index (See “A little girl discovered a 3,800-year-old Canaanite seal on a family trip near Beit Shemesh”)
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/three-year-old-girl-finds-canaanite-seal-where-bible-says-david-battled-goliath/
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