First-grader finds priceless 3,500-year-old artifact

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 with two figures engraved on it.

Curious about the discovery, Elya's parents decided to send it to the Israel Antiquities Authority and the National Treasures Department for more answers. After photographing and documenting the artifact, archaeologists were surprised to realize that this was an extremely rare find.

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.

Six-year-old Imri Elya (IAA)

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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.

"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 IAA archaeologist.

"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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