American Teen Finds 3,300-Year-Old Egyptian Scarab Amulet at Tel Gezer in Israel

A high school student from the United States uncovered a 3,300-year-old scarab amulet adorned with cobra designs while visiting Tel Gezer National Park, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday.

Shiloh Attoun, 17, made the chance find during a study tour at the park with Jewish National Fund-USA's Alexander Muss High School in Israel, known as Muss. It was his class's first trip to see the country, and the group had arrived in Israel just two days before the visit to Tel Gezer.

"As we were learning about Tel Gezer's history and archaeology, I noticed a small, interesting object on the ground," Attoun said. "It looked ancient. I picked it up and consulted my guide." He recalled his disbelief at the moment, saying that only a short time earlier the group had been discussing how slim the odds were of ever finding such an artifact, and suddenly one was sitting in his hand.

The amulet, shaped like a dung beetle, reflects the cultural influence ancient Egypt exerted over the region. Similar scarab amulets have been found across Israel, including one unearthed at the Tell Qana archaeological site in Hod Hasharon in August. The ancient Egyptians regarded the beetle as sacred and a symbol of new life, because it laid its eggs, representing new life, inside a rolled ball of dung, which stood for death.

The ancient city of Gezer occupied a strategic crossroads in the Judean Lowlands and ranked among the most important Canaanite cities of the 2nd millennium BCE. The site is now managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Once the group understood the object might be a significant archaeological find, they moved quickly to report it. "This discovery sparked great excitement among the students," said Benji Hain, Muss' dean of students. "As soon as we realized that this might be a significant archaeological find, it was important for us to immediately contact the Israel Antiquities Authority, report it, and ensure that we were acting in the right way."

After the report, the IAA dispatched archaeologist Adam William Asper, a supervisor in its Central Region, to meet the group at the school and collect the artifact for the authority's National Treasures of Israel Department. Asper presented Attoun with a certificate of appreciation for demonstrating good citizenship.

Professor Ido Koch of Tel Aviv University's Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures Department examined the amulet and dated the seal to the Late Bronze Age. "An interesting scene appears on the scarab: two cobras above a semi-ellipse," Koch said. He explained that the cobra, identified with the biblical serpent and known in Egyptian and Greek as "Uraeus," was a widespread protective and royal symbol in ancient Egypt and the southern Levant, while the semi-ellipse beneath the cobras represents the Egyptian hieroglyphic sign "nb," meaning "lord." Koch added that a scarab showing a similar scene with three snakes had previously been found during excavations at Tel Megiddo in northern Israel.

"Shiloh's story is a charming example of the connection forged between the young people who come to study in Israel and the country's history and archaeology, through firsthand experience in the field," said Amit Melman, the IAA's Central Region Educational Director, praising the student and the program's instructors for responsibly handing the find over to the national repository.

Tali Tzour Avner, Jewish National Fund-USA's Chief Israel Emissary, said Attoun, who was born into a Jewish-American family, came to Israel through the Muss program to deepen his connection with the country, and that on his very first trip he got to know it on foot and encountered a piece of its history up close. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu also commended the teenager, saying the discovery highlights the importance of connecting young people from the Diaspora with the heritage of the Land of Israel and thanking him for acting responsibly by turning the ancient amulet over to the state.