The metal artifacts, the earliest of which are 3,500 years old. Photo: Diego Barkan/IAA.

JNS.org – Ancient metal artifacts were recently given to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) by a family whose father had collected them from the water along the coastal city of Hadera.

The Mazliah family inherited the artifacts from their late father, who pulled the objects from the sea while he was employed at the Hadera power station. After realizing they belonged to the state, they contacted IAA and invited them to their home to inspect the items.

IAA discovered the objects had fallen overboard from a metal merchant’s ship in the early Islamic period.

The finds include a toggle pin and the head of a knife from the Middle Bronze Age, more than 3,500 years ago. The other items include two mortars and two pestles and fragments of candlesticks that date to the Fatimid period in the 11th century CE. The items were apparently made in Syria and brought to Israel. The finds are evidence of the metal trade that was conducted during this period, said IAA’s curator Ayala Lester.

The Mazliah family will receive a certificate of appreciation from the IAA for turning over the artifacts.