A high school student has recently uncovered a 1,500-year-old "magical mirror" from the Byzantine period during excavations in the north, the Israel Antiquities Authority said this week.
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Seventeen-year-old Aviv Weizman participated in a survival course that included excavations throughout Israel – organized by the Education Ministry and the IAA – when she came across the amazing find at the ancient site of Usha.
During the course, the youngsters participate in a 90-kilometer (56-mile) trek from Mount Meron to Mount Hermon, which includes excavations along the way.
One such site was Usha where the unusual pottery sherd was found, peeping out of the group between the walls of a building.
Video: Aincent oil lamp found near Modi'in. Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority
According to the IAA, Aviv uncovered the sherd and showed it to Einat Ambar-Armon, director of the IAA Northern Education Center, who recognized the find as the plaque of a magical mirror.
According to Navit Popovitch, IAA curator of the classical periods, "The fragment is part of a 'magical mirror' from the Byzantine period, the 4th–6th centuries CE. A glass mirror, for protection against the evil eye, was placed in the middle of the plaque: the idea was that the evil spirit, such as a demon, who looked in the mirror, would see his own reflection, and this would protect the owner of the mirror. Similar mirror plaques have been found in the past as funerary gifts in tombs, to protect the deceased in their journey to the world to come."
Eli Escusido, director of the IAA, said, "During the week-long trek, the young leaders discovered additional finds, including pottery jars, coins, decorated stone fragments, and even a water aqueduct. History, usually taught in the classroom, comes to life from the ground. A pupil who uncovers a find during an excavation will never forget the experience. There is no better way to attach the youth to the country and the heritage."
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