From i24NEWS 25-5-2020
The object is a clay
tablet depicting a captor leading a naked and humiliated prisoner,
A six-year-old boy made the
discovery of a lifetime after unearthing a rare artifact thought to be more
than 3,500 years old.
Last March, while touring the
northern Negev archaeological site of Kibbutz Re'im in Tel Jemmeh, six-year-old
Imri Elya stumbled upon a small, square clay object engraved with two figures
engraved on it.
Curious about the small discovery,
Elya's parents decided to send it to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and
the National Treasures Department for more answers. After photographing and
documenting the artifact, archaeologists were surprised to realize that this
was a unique and rare find that had not been discovered until today in any
other archaeological excavations in Israel.
According to
the IAA, the object is a clay tablet depicting a captor leading a naked and
humiliated prisoner, dated to the Late Bronze Age between the 12th and 15th
centuries BCE.
Archaeologists
note that during this period, the Egyptian Empire ruled Canaan. The latter was
divided into "city states" ruled by local kings. From letters sent by
Canaanite kings of that period to Egypt (known as the El Amarna letters), it is
known that internal struggles and control conflicts existed between Canaanite
cities.
Researchers
reason that "the scene depicted on the tablet is taken from descriptions
of victory parades; hence the tablet should be identified as a story depicting
the ruler's power over his enemies. This opens a visual window to understanding
the struggle for dominance in the south of the country during the Canaanite
period," the IAA said in a statement.
"Antiquities
are our cultural heritage, and each find adds to the entire puzzle of the story
of the Land," said Pablo Betzer, an archaeologist from the Southern District
of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
"There
is great importance in turning archaeological findings over to the National
Treasures Department to be researched and displayed for the entire public to
enjoy. The delivery of the tablet to the Antiquities Authority indicates value
education and good citizenship on the part of Imri and his parents."
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