Shilo Atoun, 17, a student at the MUSS in Israel high school run by Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA), made a surprising discovery during an educational tour of Tel Gezer National Park, which the Nature and Parks Authority manages. He found an ancient scarab amulet, about 3,300 years old, decorated with cobras.
Atoun found the amulet during his first trip with the group in Israel. Together with his guide, Benji Hein, he reported the unusual find to the Israel Antiquities Authority. Following the report, Adam Asper, an inspector in the authority's Central Region, came to meet the group at the school. Asper collected the find for the State Treasures (national antiquities collection) and presented Atoun with a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
Scarab amulets, which sometimes also served as seals, testify to the cultural influence of ancient Egypt in the region during its period of rule here, about 3,500 years ago. At that time, the ancient city of Gezer was one of the most important Canaanite cities in the Land of Israel. It controlled a strategic crossroads in the Shfela (Judean lowlands).
The scarab's shape is based on the dung beetle, which the ancient Egyptians considered sacred. The beetle symbolized new life, because it forms a ball of dung in which it lays its eggs, and adult beetles later emerge from the ball. Its name in ancient Egyptian is linked to the verb "to come into being" or "to become." The Egyptians saw the beetle as a symbol of creation and renewal and associated it with the god Khepri, the god of the rising sun.
Atoun said, "This was our first-class trip to see the country; we arrived only two days earlier. As we were learning about Tel Gezer's history and archaeology, I noticed a small, interesting object on the ground. It looked ancient. I picked it up and consulted my guide. I couldn't believe it was happening to me – a moment ago we were talking about the slim chances of ever discovering such a find, and here was one right in my hand!"
Hein, the group's guide at the MUSS in Israel high school, added, "The discovery stirred great excitement among the students. The moment we understood it might be an archaeological find of importance, it was important to us to contact the Antiquities Authority immediately, report it and make sure we were acting the right way."
Prof. Ido Koch of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University examined the amulet. He dated the seal to the Late Bronze Age (the second millennium BCE).
Koch said, "An interesting scene appears on the scarab: two cobras above a semi-ellipse. The cobra, identified with the biblical serpent and called in Egyptian and in Greek 'Uraeus,' was a very common protective and royal symbol in ancient Egypt and the southern Levant. The semi-ellipse below the cobras represents the Egyptian hieroglyphic sign 'nb – (sl), which symbolizes the word "lord." A scarab depicting a similar scene - but with three snakes - was earlier found in the Tel Megiddo excavations."
Amit Melman, director of the educational center in the Antiquities Authority's Central Region, said, "Shiloh's story is a charming example of the connection forged between the young people who come to study in Israel to the country's history and archaeology, which happens by means of a firsthand experience in the field. Shiloh and the program instructors deserve praise for showing responsibility and immediately handing over the find to our national repository. Thanks to them, this special find was preserved, and we can all learn from it."
Tali Tzour-Avner, director of JNF-USA in Israel, the organization that owns the school, said, "Shiloh, born into a Jewish-American family, came to Israel as part of an educational program at Jewish National Fund-USA's Muss High School Israel to deepen his connection with Israel, its people, and its landscapes. Already on his very first trip, he got to know the country on foot and meet a piece of its history up close. There is something exciting about the moment here in Israel when the history studied in class becomes a personal encounter. This is the experience we work hard to give our students: to get to know Israel, to feel they belong to it, and to discover that they too have a place in its story."
The Antiquities Authority reminded that when an archaeological find is discovered in the field, it should be left in place and reported to the authority immediately, so that archaeologists can document the archaeological context in which the object was found.
Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said, "This discovery underscores the tremendous importance we place on connecting young people from the Diaspora with the heritage of the Land of Israel through direct encounters with the sites and artifacts that tell its story. I commend Shiloh for his discovery and for acting responsibly by handing over the ancient amulet to the state."
