CAIRO — An archaeological discovery does not always require months and years of research, imaging sonar or magnetometric scanning, drilling or sophisticated excavation tools. Occasionally, a passerby stumbles upon an artifact, just as an Israeli veterinarian claims he did, though some Egyptian experts claim that the whole story is a sham and the artifact was actually smuggled from Egypt.
Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported Feb. 4 that Rafi Bahalul stumbled upon a 3,400-year-old Egyptian stone anchor engraved with hieroglyphs during a morning swim along Israel’s northern shores last year.