Ancient Jar Some Kid Smashed Is Out Of The Shop, Back On Display, ‘Please Don’t Touch’ Sign Added

An ancient jar at a museum in Israel that was accidentally smashed to bits last month by a 4-year-old whose family was visiting from Northern Ireland is back in action after getting patched up.

The only difference is that it now features a new "PLEASE DON'T TOUCH" sign for obvious reasons.

There, problem solved…

The incident occurred last month at Haifa's Hecht Museum, when the Bronze Era jar took a tumble after the "Exceptionally curious" youngster — as his old man put it — caused the priceless artifact to break.

According to the Associated Press, the museum prides itself on letting visitors explore history without glass barriers — which may have been part of the problem in retrospect — and this Bronze Age jar was part of that. Until last month it was one of the biggest, most intact examples in existence. 

It's believed to date back to somewhere between 2200 to 1500 BC and is thought to have been used to store olive oil or wine (although, it'd be hilarious if you brought the guy who owned it to the modern day and showed him that, and he goes, "Hey, why is everyone staring at my chamber pot?").

While the initial reaction may have been a bit more heated, the museum doesn't seem too broken up (unlike the jar) about the incident.

"Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world," museum director Inbal Rivlin.

The museum also invited the family to return, so what could have been a real disaster turned into a nice moment.

Of course, there will be some changes, namely that impenetrable "PLEASE DON'T TOUCH" sign.

I don't know if you've ever seen one of those while out and about, but I can assure you, they rarely work. Half the time I think people see those and think, "Well now I've got to touch it because it must be awesome…"

It kind of reminds me of The Simpsons episode "Radio Bart" where Bart pretends to be a kid who fell down a well, then actually fell down a well. That episode ends with Groundskeeper Willie putting up a sign in the vicinity of the well that just says "CAUTION: WELL" to make sure it doesn't happen again.