12-Year-Old Hiker Stumbles Upon Ancient Egyptian Artifact

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Daphna Filshteiner, 12, was hiking near an ancient site in Israel when she found “an interesting stone.” Filshteiner showed the object to her mom, who kind of brushed it off, but the pair later did some sleuthing and discovered it actually might be something important. Turns out, this young hiker had picked up an ancient artifact from the dirt—a 3,500-year-old Egyptian amulet. Can you imagine?

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) posted the news on its social media page, sharing details about Filshteiner’s momentous find. The IAA says Dr. Yitzhak Paz, a Bronze Age expert, examined the amulet, which mimics the shape of a dung beetle (a symbol of new life for ancient Egyptians).

“It dates back to the New Kingdom period in Egypt, about 3,500 years ago,” wrote the IAA in its Facebook post sharing photos of the rare find. “Two scorpions appear on it, standing head to tail [. . .] The scorpion symbol represented the Egyptian goddess Serkat, who was considered responsible, among other things, for protecting pregnant mothers. Another decoration on the amulet is the nefer symbol, which in Egyptian means ‘good’ or ‘chosen’. There is also another symbol which looks like a royal staff.”

See photos of the young hiker who discovered an ancient Egyptian artifact here: