Eight-year-old boy finds 1,700-year-old statuette fragment while hiking in Negev |
A fragment of a refined statuette from Roman times, believed to be some 1,700 years old, was found by an eight-year-old boy, as he was hiking in the Ramon Crater in the Negev desert with his family, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said Monday.
The fragment, possibly depicting Roman god Jupiter, measures approximately 6 x 6 centimeters (2.3 x 2.3 inches) and includes the upper part of a male torso, partially covered by a sculpted fabric with folds.
“I was looking for special things on the ground that I could show in class,” said Dor Wolynitz, eight, from Rehovot, according to an IAA statement. “Suddenly, I noticed an interesting stone with stripes lying on the ground, and picked it up. It seemed like an unusual object.”
Wolynitz and his family were taking part in a weekend excursion for families of IDF paratroopers. Akiva Goldenhersh, an IAA Theft Prevention Unit supervisor, also joined the trip.
Dor showed him the artifact.
“At first I thought it was a fossil, but then I noticed the sculpted folds of the garment – and I was very excited!” Goldenhersh in the statement.
The fragment was later examined by IAA geologist Dr. Nimrod Wieler, who determined that it was made of local stone, a light mineral of the phosphorite type, commonly found in the Negev desert.
At the........