Boy returns to Israeli museum where he broke 3,500-year-old ancient jar

As her 4-year-old son perused ancient artifacts in Israel’s Hecht Museum last month, Anna Geller looked away for one moment.

The next thing she knew, a rare 3,500-year-old jar was broken on the ground, her son, Ariel, standing over it.

“It was just a distraction of a second,” said Geller, a mother of three from the northern Israeli town of Nahariya.

“And the next thing I know, it’s a very big boom behind me.”

What could be considered every parent’s worst nightmare became a learning experience on Friday 30 August, as the Geller family were invited back to the museum.

The Bronze Age jar that young Ariel broke last week has been on display at the Hecht Museum for 35 years.

Restoration experts at the museum think the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. It could be back on display as early as next week.