8-year-old boy finds 1,700-year-old Roman statuette during a show-and-tell hunt
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A child’s recent show-and-tell find turned out to be something unusual: a fragment of a 1,700-year-old Roman statuette.
Dor Wolynitz, an 8-year-old boy from Rehovot, Israel, found the artifact during a visit to the Ramon Crater in southern Israel’s Negev Desert, according to a May 11 statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Wolynitz came across the piece, which dates back to the 4th century AD, while on a family holiday organized by the paratroop reserve unit.
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The boy told the IAA he was “looking for special things I could show in class.”
“All of a sudden I noticed an interesting striped stone on the ground and I picked it up,” he said.
An 8-year-old boy in Israel discovered a rare piece of a Roman-era figurine during a family trip and later turned it over to authorities. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
“It seemed like an unusual object to me, so I showed it to Akiva. [Goldenhersh]an archaeologist and friend of my father’s who was with us on our trip.”
The piece measures six by six centimeters. It depicts “part of a human figure with carefully shaped folds of fabric,” said Goldenhersh, supervisor of the IAA’s Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit.
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Goldenhersh told the IAA that at first glance he “thought it was a fossil.”
“But then I noticed the folds of the garment and I was so excited,” she said.
The artifact, discovered on the surface of the Negev Desert, is believed to date back to the 4th century AD. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
The fact that the figurine is made of a phosphorite-type mineral native to the Negev indicates that it was most likely produced locally rather than imported.
“The figure is depicted wearing a heavy mantle called a himation, with no visible chiton or underwear,” Goldenhersh said. he said.
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“The way he shapes the folds and the choice of such a delicate material shows that the artist has a very high level of skill.”
The figurine is thought to depict the Roman god Jupiter or a Nabatean god named Zeus-Dushara.
“It is particularly unusual to discover one as a surface find during a controlled excavation.”
The Ramon Crater area is located on the ancient spice route, once a main artery during the Roman and Nabatean periods, where many cultures intersected and exchanged goods.
“This small find reflects the combination of local traditions with influences from the classical world,” he said.
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Goldenhersh told Fox News Digital that finding Roman-era stone figurines in this style is “relatively rare in general.”
“It is particularly unusual to discover one as a surface find during a controlled excavation,” he said.
According to researchers, the small piece of stone may depict the Roman god Jupiter or the Nabataean god Zeus-Dushara. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
Since only a fragment remained, archaeologists suggested that it had been moved from its original location due to erosion or natural changes over time.
“At the same time, desert conditions in the Negev may help preserve artifacts and occasionally bring them to the surface,” Goldenhersh said.
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The IAA said 8-year-old Wolynitz turned the find over to Israel’s National Treasures Agency and received a certificate of “good citizenship.”
Realizing the importance of the find, the child and his family reported the situation to the Israeli Ministry of National Treasury. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
“The responsible behavior of Dor and his family is an example of appropriate civic responsibility and the protection of our country’s cultural assets,” Goldenhersh said in a statement. he said.
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“Dor is a role model for all of us.”
