Hundreds of archeological artifacts damaged in recent quake

By JPOST.COM STAFF
An earthquake that shook Israel 10 days ago damaged some 700 archeological artifacts displayed in a museum at Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar in northern Israel, Channel 1 reported Wednesday evening. Most of the artifacts were excavated at the nearby Tel Hazor site. Heavy rains have prevented researchers from ascertaining whether the site itself was affected by the quake. The damage was discovered only several days after the event, since the museum has been closed recently due to a lack of visitors. Dr. Zvika Zur, the exhibit's curator, told Channel 1 that while some of the items - many of which date back to the Canaanite era - could be mended, many others had been damaged irreparably.