American high school student discovers 3,300-year-old amulet in Israel

A 17-year-old American high school student visiting Israel discovered a 3,300-year-old Egyptian-style amulet during a recent tour of Tel Gezer National Park in the Judean Lowlands, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday.Shiloh Attoun, who had arrived in Israel just two days before the tour to study at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Muss High School Israel, spotted the small scarab-shaped artifact on the ground during his class’s first excursion.“As we were learning about Tel Gezer’s history and archaeology, I noticed a small, interesting object on the ground.It looked ancient,” Attoun said.

“I picked it up and consulted my guide.I couldn’t believe it was happening to me—a moment ago we were talking about the slim chances of ever discovering such a find, and here was one right in my hand!”Attoun and Benji Hain, dean of students at Muss, reported the discovery to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Archaeologist Adam William Asper, an IAA supervisor in the Central Region, subsequently collected the artifact for Israel’s National Treasures collection.Attoun received a certificate of appreciation for turning over the find.An ancient Egyptian symbolProfessor Ido Koch of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures dated the amulet to the Late Bronze Age, approximately 3,300 years ago.“An interesting scene appears on the scarab: two cobras above a semi-ellipse,” Koch said.The cobra, known in ancient Egyptian iconography as the Uraeus, was widely used as a protective and royal symbol in Egypt and the southern Levant, he explained.The semi-ellipse beneath the cobras represents the Egyptian hieroglyphic sign “nb,” meaning “lord.”A similar scarab depicting three snakes was previously uncovered during excavations at Tel Megiddo, Koch said.Scarabs—amulets modeled after the dung beetle—were common in ancient Egypt and were sometimes used as seals.

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