She handed it over to the State Treasury and received a certificate of appreciation from the Antiquities Authority for demonstrating good citizenship
A more than 3,000-year-old statuette, identified with the Egyptian goddess Hathor, was discovered by a citizen in the Palmachim Beach National Park, and was handed over to the state treasures.
Lydia Marner, 74 years old from Lod, immigrated to Israel from Azerbaijan with her husband and two daughters. Since her retirement from her job as a mediator in the Ministry of Welfare, she and her husband go on weekly trips to the Palmachim beach. "The beach is one of our favorite places in Israel," she says. "Almost every week we go on family trips, sometimes we even go to the sea, and it is a place of very high family value for us." she adds.
About a month ago, during one of the weekly trips, while walking along the beach, she noticed that something was sticking out of the sea. "It was a rather stormy day; the waves were high, and the weather was wintry. During the walk by the water, I noticed a stone coming towards me. I immediately called my husband and told him - it's not for nothing, I saw that there was something beyond here."
Lydia took a picture of the find, and tried to check with her acquaintances who understand what it is, they immediately told her that it looks like something that needs to be checked by professionals. She turned to the Antiquities Authority's Facebook page, and Dror Citron and Idan Horn, inspectors on behalf of the Authority, came to examine the special statuette.
After an examination, it turned out that the find was none other than a figurine (statuette), identified with the Egyptian goddess Hathor.
Ever since, Lydia has loved to research and learn about the history and archeology in her surroundings, and the find moved her very much. "I can't believe I won this. At first my husband laughed at me, but today the whole family already knows the amazing story that happened to me. I'm very happy that the right to find it fell to me."
According to Dr. Amir Golani, an expert on the Bronze Age at the Antiquities Authority, "These figurines, which were used for worship and are usually identified with the Egyptian goddess Hathor, are typical of the Canaanite culture in the Land of Israel - especially in the Late Bronze Age and also in the Iron Age 1. The Canaanites used to adopt the ritual and religious customs of the Egyptians, who ruled our region at the same time. Just like For homes today, which install a mezuzah or hang a picture of a saint on the wall, then - they used to place figurines Worship in a central place in the house, for good luck and protection against bad things. Although the statuette is very well known to us, it is made of clay which has been molded into a stone pattern. It can be recognized that it is a Hathor by its hairstyle , which resembles the horns of a bull, and according to the prominent eyes and ears that were designed for her, Hathor was a strong goddess, who symbolized many virtues for the Egyptians - fertility, strength, protection, and smart".
Last week, for the first time, the Antiquities Authority and the Ministry of Heritage launched the "Antique find - returning them with a click" operation, which calls on people who have antiquities in their homes to return them to their natural place - state treasures.
Amichai Eliyahu, Minister of Heritage: "The antiquities return operation led by the Ministry of Heritage and the Antiquities Authority is important and significant. The antiquities that will be returned will help in assembling the historical story of the Land of Israel. I call on the general public who has any antiquities in their homes to return them to the Antiquities Authority, which holds them under proper preservation conditions. Some of the antiquities will be shown to the public in various exhibitions in museums." .
"Many people keep in their private homes antiques that came into their possession under different circumstances. Some were collected in the field, some were inherited, and more," he explains Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority. "A large part of them are not aware that by law they have to report the antiquities, which are a public historical treasure. The campaign asks for the participation of the citizens in returning the antiquities to their natural and legal place as our heritage assets. With us, in the state treasures, the sensitive items will be documented and preserved from the ravages of time. Some of them will pass to the displays, and maybe they will even add information about the country's past. We already see that significant items are coming to us, and are curious to find out what More will come to our door."
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