Curious 4-Year-Old Shatters Museum's Ancient Jar

The clay jar at Israel's Hecht Museum had withstood the tests of more than three millennia, but it proved no match for a curious 4-year-old boy. The BBC reports that the child was "curious about what was inside" the 3,500-year-old jar that sat unprotected at the museum's entrance. He "pulled the jar slightly," and the rest is shattered pieces of history. What punishment was meted out to the tiny jar-breaker? The museum invited him and his family back for a proper tour, reports Business Insider.

"There are instances where display items are intentionally damaged, and such cases are treated with great severity, including involving the police," a museum rep tells the BBC. "In this case, however, this was not the situation. The jar was accidentally damaged by a young child visiting the museum, and the response will be accordingly." Hecht has also found a specialist to put the Bronze Age jar back together again and won't be altering its policy of displaying artifacts without barriers, with its director citing the "special charm" in so doing. "Despite the rare incident with the jar, the Hecht Museum will continue this tradition," says the museum's director, Inbal Rivlin. (More artifacts stories.)