Israeli Boy, 8, Finds 1,700-Year-Old Roman Statuette Fragment in Negev

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 25

Dor Wolynitz, 8, found a 6-by-6-centimeter Roman-era statuette fragment on the surface of the Ramon Crater during a family retreat and later handed it to Israel’s National Treasures Department.
Fourth-century A.D. analysis by the Israel Antiquities Authority identified carefully carved folds of a himation and a phosphorite stone native to the Negev, suggesting the piece was made locally.
IAA archaeologists said the fragment may depict Jupiter or the Nabatean god Zeus-Dushara, and called its discovery as a surface find—rather than in an excavation—especially unusual.
Ramon Crater lay along the ancient Roman-Nabatean spice route, giving the small artifact broader significance as evidence of cultural exchange in the Negev; Dor received a certificate for “good citizenship.”

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