Archaeologists Nohar Shahar and Shani Amit from the Israel Antiquities Authority recalled, "It was like a scene from a movie. We started clearing the soft, light sand of the dune when suddenly the tip of a marble item peeked out. The entire excavation team stood around in excitement, and as we cleared more sand, we couldn't believe what our eyes were seeing—pieces of a sarcophagus, on which were carved figures: gods, animals, and trees. Each shard that was uncovered was more impressive than the last. In fact, just in the last hour of the excavation, the peak arrived: a complete side of the sarcophagus, which had been buried in sand, was uncovered, and on it—the scene of Hercules, lying on a lion's skin and holding a cup in his hand."
