Museum had a surprising response when 4-year-old accidentally smashed 3,500-year-old artifact

There is a reason museums place guard rails around their displays: Once they are destroyed, they may not be able to restore valuable artifacts and pieces of ancient history. So, when a 4-year-old caused a costly mishap at an Israeli museum, the authorities and the kid's parent were left speechless, per the BBC. The young boy was visiting the University of Haifa's Hecht Museum with his dad Alex when a moment of carelessness caused an ancient jar to shatter to pieces.

The jar that was put on display was from the time between 2200 and 1500 B.C., making it at least 3,500 years old. The rare jar was fully intact until the little boy's curiosity caused some serious damage, as reported by ABC News. The museum had placed the jar near the entrance of the museum without glass protection around it. They believed that their style of display had a "special charm" in it as it showed the archaeological finds without any obstructions to the visitors. Alex talked to BBC, revealing how his son slightly pulled at the jar to see what was inside it. The dad was mortified when he found his son standing next to the smashed artifact.

"It wasn't my child that did it," the dad recalled what he had thought initially but he figured that it was his son indeed. After calming down his son, the man spoke to the security guard. The museum's director Inbal Rivlin understood that it was an accident where the bronze age jar shattered, per ABC News. "There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police," Lihi Laszlo from the museum told BBC. "In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum and the response will be accordingly."

As a result, the little boy and his family faced no severe consequences. Rivlin also mentioned the jar that was most likely used to transport wine and olive oil in ancient times, along with other local supplies. The jar predated the rule of Biblical King David and King Solomon and held the characteristics of the Canaan region on the eastern Mediterranean coast. There were similar jars and potteries were excavated during one of the archaeological digs but most of them were usually broken or incomplete when it was unearthed. That made the now-shattered jar "an impressive find" when the museum discovered it.

On the other hand, Alex was relieved to see the jar restored. The boy's family was invited back to see the artifact after it was repaired by the museum. He apologized to the museum and admitted that the jar would "no longer be the same item." "Whenever possible, items are displayed without barriers or glass walls," the museum told BBC. Despite the rare accident, the museum intended to continue its tradition of displaying its artifacts without glass barriers.