A three-year-old Israeli girl has found a scarab-shaped Canaanite amulet dating back some 3,800 years at the site of Tel Azeka near Bet Shemesh, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Tuesday.
Ziv Nitzan, from Moshav Ramot Meir, was hiking with her parents and two older sisters at the foot of the hill where the archaeological site stands when she picked up what appeared to be a small stone.
Scarab amulets trace their origins to ancient Egypt, where beetles were revered as sacred symbols of renewal. Egyptians believed these insects embodied new life, as they laid their eggs inside the dung balls they rolled — seemingly bringing life from decay.
Ben-Tor examined the artifact found at Tel Azeka and determined its cultural affiliation with the Canaanites, an ancient people recorded throughout the Bible and in historical documents up to 3,500 years old — as well as older archaeological findings — as a group of peoples living throughout the Levant who were ruled by their own city/state kings.
Tel Azeka is mentioned in the Bible as the location of the iconic battle between David and the Philistine giant Goliath (Samuel I 17:1).
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Ziv Nitzan, from Moshav Ramot Meir, was hiking with her parents and two older sisters at the foot of the hill where the archaeological site stands when she picked up what appeared to be a small stone.
Scarab amulets trace their origins to ancient Egypt, where beetles were revered as sacred symbols of renewal. Egyptians believed these insects embodied new life, as they laid their eggs inside the dung balls they rolled — seemingly bringing life from decay.
Ben-Tor examined the artifact found at Tel Azeka and determined its cultural affiliation with the Canaanites, an ancient people recorded throughout the Bible and in historical documents up to 3,500 years old — as well as older archaeological findings — as a group of peoples living throughout the Levant who were ruled by their own city/state kings.
Tel Azeka is mentioned in the Bible as the location of the iconic battle between David and the Philistine giant Goliath (Samuel I 17:1).
Complete Article
Three-year-old girl finds Canaanite seal where Bible says David battled Goliath
Ziv Nitzan was hiking with her family near Tel Azeka when she picked up a small stone that her sisters later realized was shaped like a scarab, revealing 3,800-year-old finding
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