A toddler has made a stunning discovery at the site believed to be where David battled Goliath more than 3,000 years ago.
Ziv Nitzan, 3, was collecting rocks while hiking with her family in Israel when she picked up a particular stone that turned out to be a 3,800-year-old scarab amulet.
A scarab amulet is an ancient Egyptian charm shaped like a scarab beetle, symbolizing protection, rebirth, and good fortune, which were commonly made of stone.
The hiking trail passes through Tel Azeka, less than 20 miles from Jerusalem, which is referenced in the Bible as the site of the infamous Biblical battle took place.
According to the Book of Samuel, the Israelites and Philistines were at war, and the Philistines sent their champion, Goliath, to challenge any Israelite to single combat to decide the battle.
While no soldier dared to fight him, young David stepped up with faith in God and defeated Goliath with a slingshot.
Tel Azeka has also been an archaeological site for the last 15 years due to its ancient treasures, like the one Nitzan found.
‘We were walking along the path and Ziv bent down and out of the 70,000 stones around her, she picked up one stone,’ said Omer, the toddler’s older sister.
‘When she rubbed it and removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find.’
Ziv Nitzan, 3, (right) was collecting rocks while hiking with her family in Israel when she picked up a particular stone that turned out to be a 3,800-year-old scarab amulet. Here she is with her two sisters
A scarab amulet is an ancient Egyptian charm shaped like a scarab beetle, symbolizing protection, rebirth, and good fortune, which were commonly made of stone
Israeli Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, said: ‘The seal that little Ziv found during a family trip to Tel Azekah connects us to a grand story, that of the ancient civilizations that lived in this land thousands of years ago.
‘The scarab she found also reminds us that in the Land of Israel, even children can be a part of discovering history.’
Semyon Gendler, Judah Region District Archaeologist on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, praised Ziv and her family for reporting the find, and awarded her a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
Professor Oded Lipschits, director of the Tel Aviv University archaeological dig, said findings like the scarab reveal that Tel Azekah ‘thrived one of the most important cities in the Judean Lowlands.
The artifact found by Nitzan ‘joins a long list of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered here, which attest to the close ties and cultural influences between Canaan and Egypt during that period,’ he added.
Dr Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, determined that the seal found by the little girl was a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age.
The Canaanites were an ancient people who lived in the land of Canaan, which roughly corresponds to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan.
They were a diverse group of city-states with their own kings, worshipping many gods.
The toddler was collecting rocks during the hike and stumbled upon the archaeological discovery
The hiking trail passes through Tel Azeka, less than 20 miles from Jerusalem , which is referenced in the Bible as the site of the infamous Biblical battle took place
According to the Book of Samuel, the Israelites and Philistines were at war. The Philistines sent their champion, Goliath, to challenge any Israelite to combat to decide the battle. Only young David stepped up with faith in God and defeated Goliath with a slingshot
Canaanites are also in the Bible as inhabitants of the Promised Land before the Israelites arrived after fleeing Egypt, according to the sacred text.
The story of David and Goliath appears in the first Book of Samuel, which is part of the Old Testament.
David is believed to have lived around 1000 BC, and the Book of Samuel was written in the subsequent centuries.
The story tells of a war between the Israelites and the Philistines in which Goliath, a ‘champion from the city of Gath’, is chosen to fight in single combat for the Philistines.
The Bible states Goliath’s height as ‘six cubits and a span’, equal to nine feet and nine inches.
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Promising to fight Goliath, David refuses to wear armour, putting his faith in God instead.
‘The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine,’ David said as it was written in 1 Samuel 17:37.
David confronts Goliath and the Biblical account goes on: ‘Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, [David] slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
‘The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground,’ according to 1 Samuel 17:49.
‘So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.’
The Philistines ‘turned and ran’ after seeing their hero defeated, and the Israelites followed them all the way to Gath, according to the Bible.
David later became the King of Israel and was succeeded by his son Solomon.