Rare 1,700-year-old relic accidentally uncovered during child's hunt stuns archaeologists

Dor Wolynitz, an 8-year-old from Rehovot, Israel, found the artifact during a visit to the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert of southern Israel, according to a May 11 release from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

"Suddenly, I noticed an interesting stone with stripes lying on the ground, and picked it up," he said. 

"It seemed like an unusual object to me, so I showed it to Akiva [Goldenhersh], an archaeologist and my dad's friend, who was with us on our trip."

The fragment measures six by six centimeters. It depicts "part of a human figure with carefully sculpted folds of fabric," said Goldenhersh, a supervisor at the IAA's Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit.

Goldenhersh told the IAA he "thought it was a fossil" at first glance.

"But then I noticed the sculpted folds of the garment - and I was very excited," he said.

The statuette was made from a phosphorite-type mineral native to the Negev, indicating it was likely produced locally rather than imported.

"The figure is depicted wearing a type of heavy mantle called a himation, with no visible chiton, or undergarment," Goldenhersh noted.

"The manner of sculpting the folds and the choice of such a delicate material indicate a very high level of skill on the part of the artist."

The Ramon Crater area sits along the ancient spice route that was once a major artery during the Roman and Nabatean periods, where multiple cultures intersected and exchanged goods.

"This tiny find thus reflects the combination of local traditions with influences from the classical world," he said.

Goldenhersh told Fox News Digital that finding Roman-era stone figurines in this style is "relatively rare in general."

"Discovering one as a surface find, rather than during a controlled excavation, is especially unusual," he noted.

Because only a fragment remains, the archaeologists suggested it moved from its original location due to erosion or natural shifts over time.

Wolynitz, the 8-year-old, handed the find over to Israel's National Treasures Department and received a certificate for his "good citizenship," the IAA said.

"The responsible conduct of Dor and his family is an example of proper civic responsibility and the preservation of our country's cultural assets," Goldenhersh said in a statement.

"Dor is a role model for us all."