A girl who took part in excavations organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority accidentally found a fragment of an ancient mirror. According to archaeologists, the age of the find is about 1.5 thousand years.
Seventeen-year-old Aviv Weitzman from Kiryat Motzkin near Haifa took part in archaeological excavations on the territory of the ancient settlement of Usha. And there she came across an extraordinary find: an artifact that looked like a fragment of a hand mirror with an intricate shape.
According to researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority, this fragment is part of a "magic mirror" from the Byzantine period, IV-VI centuries AD. An object that could protect against the evil eye: the point was that an evil spirit, such as a demon, looking into a mirror would see its own reflection, and this would protect the owner of the mirror from its charms.
Similar mirror tablets are also reported to have been found in the past as funerary gifts in tombs to protect the dead on their journey to the underworld.
It should be recalled that Usha was a Jewish settlement located approximately eight kilometers southwest of the city of Nazareth. The remains of a city founded by rabbis fleeing Roman persecution in Judea were discovered there, revealing roads, stunning mosaic floors, ritual baths and oil and wine presses.
Aviv Weizman, the author of the extraordinary find, expressed her admiration for this discovery: "I never imagined that I would come across something like this. Holding the mirror in my hands, I felt a connection to the world beyond our own. It's a reminder of how little we really know about the past."
A complete Byzantine mirror previously found in Israel
As excavations and research continue, the ancient "magic mirror" is still waiting to be explored. Its magical appeal is sure to keep many more secrets.
The participation of high school students in the excavations was organized by the branch of the Ministry of Education of Israel with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Source: arkeonews.net
