The Hecht Museum in Haifa told this paper that the pottery dates back to the Bronze Age, between 2200 and 1500 BC, and is a rare artifact in very intact condition.
The museum believed that displaying archaeological finds “unobstructed” had a “special appeal,” so they were displayed near the museum entrance without a separate safety case.
The boy’s father, Alex, said his son was “curious about what was inside” and “pulled a little on the bottle” and it fell out.
Alex said he was “shocked” to see his son next to the broken bottle and at first thought “it couldn’t have been my child”.
But Alex told the BBC that he spoke to security after calming the child down.
The Hecht Museum said that following the incident, the child was invited back to the exhibit for a tour with his family.
“There are cases where exhibits are intentionally damaged, and such cases are handled very seriously, including mobilizing the police. But this is not the case. The jar was accidentally damaged by a child visiting the museum, and we will respond accordingly. A conservation expert has also been appointed to restore the urn, which will be returned to its original location “in the near future.” He said.
The museum said it plans to continue this tradition “despite this rare incident.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg2j2y20epo