TIL in 2023, Israel announced an amazing archaeological discovery, only to announce a few days later that it was created by a scholar showing students what it would have looked like if it existed.
Israel has acknowledged that an inscription in clay found in the country’s south bearing the name of Darius the Great, ruler of the ancient Persian Empire, was not authentic.
It was definitely just a mixup, although it was really irresponsible for that scholar to do that, both because people believed it was real when it wasn't, but also because they both removed it from its location rather than leaving it in situ where it should have been left for future study and because they had no idea what the value of it would have been if it hadn't been carved into.
Honestly, I hope they are never invited on another archaeological expedition.