In a moment that sounds more like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie than a family hike, three-and-a-half-year-old Ziv Nitzan from Moshav Ramot Meir made an extraordinary and heartwarming archaeological discovery during a casual weekend outing with her family — unearthing a 3,800-year-old Canaanite scarab at the ancient site of Tel Azekah, near Beit Shemesh.
On an early March afternoon, while strolling along a dusty trail in the Judean Lowlands, little Ziv suddenly bent down, her tiny fingers brushing against what appeared to be just another stone among thousands. But it wasn’t. As her older sister, Omer Nitzan, recalls with awe: “We were walking along the path, and then Ziv bent down – and out of all the stones around her, she picked up this particular one. She wiped the sand away, and something about it just looked… different. I called our parents over immediately. We knew we had stumbled upon something special.”
The Nitzan family acted swiftly and responsibly, reporting the find to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) without delay — a move that earned young Ziv an official Certificate of Good Citizenship from Semyon Gendler, the IAA's District Archaeologist for Judea.
An Ancient Object with a Mystical Past
Experts were quick to weigh in on the significance of the artifact. Dr. Daphna Ben-Tor, a leading authority on ancient seals and amulets, identified the object as a Middle Bronze Age Canaanite scarab, dating back to roughly 1800 BCE.
“Scarab seals like these were common in Egypt and Canaan and were used for both administrative purposes and spiritual protection,” explained Dr. Ben-Tor. “They often bore religious symbols, motifs of power, or inscriptions meant to protect or bless their owners. The scarab’s form — a dung beetle — was sacred in Egyptian mythology, symbolizing creation, renewal, and eternal life.”
Though small in size, the intricately carved seal is a remarkable window into a world long gone. Scarabs were placed in tombs, built into the foundations of buildings, or carried as personal charms. This particular specimen, lost or left behind nearly four millennia ago, now finds new life in the hands of a child in modern Israel — a poetic full-circle moment.
Unearthed at the Foot of Biblical History
Ziv’s historic find was made at the base of Tel Azekah, a legendary archaeological site in the Shephelah region of central Israel. Known biblically as the battleground where David famously defeated Goliath, the site has yielded a trove of discoveries over years of excavation, revealing layers from the Kingdom of Judah and even earlier civilizations.
Professor Oded Lipschits, head of the Tel Azekah excavations on behalf of Tel Aviv University, praised the find as more than just a curiosity — it’s a link in the cultural chain between Canaan and ancient Egypt, demonstrating the strategic and spiritual importance of the site. “We’ve been excavating Tel Azekah for nearly 15 years, and this scarab fits perfectly into the puzzle we are piecing together. It reflects the Egyptian influence in Canaanite society, particularly in major cities like Azekah, which thrived during the Middle and Late Bronze Ages.”*
A National Treasure, Found by a Child
Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu also celebrated the discovery, calling it “a beautiful and symbolic reminder that in the Land of Israel, even our youngest citizens are part of the journey to uncover and preserve our ancient heritage.”
Eli Escusido, Director of the IAA, echoed the sentiment: “This remarkable discovery by Ziv and the integrity of her family in immediately reporting it allows us to share this precious piece of history with the entire nation. It will now become part of Israel’s National Treasures, where it belongs.”
A Star of the Passover Exhibition
Ziv’s scarab is set to be the centerpiece of a special Passover exhibition at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, where it will be displayed alongside other newly revealed treasures from both the Egyptian and Canaanite periods — many of which are being exhibited to the public for the very first time.
A New Chapter in an Ancient Story
In a land where every stone can tell a story, it was the smallest among us who reminded the world of the depth of that history. Ziv Nitzan may not have known what she was holding when she picked up that little carved beetle, but in that moment, she reached across nearly 4,000 years and shook hands with the past.
