Tel Aviv: A 3,500-year-old jar from the Middle Bronze Age, once used for oil and wine in ancient Canaan, was accidentally shattered by a young boy at Israel’s Hecht Museum in Haifa last week. The incident occurred when a 4-year-old curious child, visiting the museum with his family, tried to peer inside the jar, causing it to topple from its metal stand and break into pieces.
The Hecht Museum is known for its practice of displaying priceless archaeological items without glass barriers to enhance visitor experience. “The jar on display at the Hecht Museum, however, was intact, and its size made it an impressive find, positioned at the entrance of the museum,” Dr Inbal Rivlin, the museum’s general director, said in an emailed statement on Wednesday, as mentioned by The New York Times.
The Hecht Museum, part of the University of Haifa, said the pitcher, dating from between 2200 and 1500 B.C., predating the era of King David and his son and successor, King Solomon would be professionally restored in a process that would also be open for the public to watch, according to the report.
Despite the accident, Dr Rivlin noted that the museum will continue to maintain its open-display policy for artefacts. “There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police,” Dr Rivlin said. However, this incident was not intentional, he added. The family, who was not identified, has been invited back for a visit to see the restored piece.
Dr. Reuben Hecht, who passed away in 1993, was an influential Israeli industrialist and philanthropist who donated his extensive collection of Middle Eastern archaeological artefacts and 19th-century paintings to the museum.
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New Delhi (PTI): A major fire broke out at Nature Bazaar in south Delhi's Andheria Mor area on Sunday morning, gutting around 50 shops and triggering a massive firefighting operation, an official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
According to the DFS, a call regarding the blaze was received at 7.37 am, following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the flames. No injury to anyone has been reported so far.
The fire erupted at the Nature Bazaar market located near Andheria Mor in the Lado Sarai area, where several temporary and semi-permanent shops selling handicrafts and other items are set up, he said.
Thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the market complex as the fire rapidly spread through multiple shops in the crowded marketplace.
Firefighters launched an extensive operation to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further.
Around 50 shops were gutted in the incident, causing heavy damage to goods and structures, the officer said.
Fire personnel were continuing efforts to completely douse the flames and carry out cooling operations in the area. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Police officers also reached the spot to assist in crowd management and facilitate firefighting operations.
