Jerusalem, 2nd century B.C. ceramic tiles discovered: oldest ever found in Israel

Important archaeological discovery in Israel: ceramic tiles believed to be the oldest ever found in the Land of Israel have in fact been unearthed in the City of David Archaeological Park in Jerusalem. These are sixteen fragments of tiles from the Hellenistic period dating back to the 2nd century B.C., found in archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquity Authority and Tel-Aviv University at the Giv’ati parking lot excavations, funded by the City of David Foundation.

According to the researchers, Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Dr. Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquity Authority, and Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel-Aviv University, “it is amazing how such a small discovery can open an obvious window to a vast world of research.” The finds are dated to the time of the Greek Seleucid king Antiochus IV.

Ceramic tiles were invented in Greece as early as the 7th century B.C. Their durability and resistance to water, particularly rainwater and precipitation, earned them a positive reputation and ensured their rapid adoption in neighboring areas. However, it was 500 years before they began to appear in the materials of the Land of Israel. In fact, it is believed that the person who brought them to Israel was none other than Antiochus IV Epiphanes, known to all through the story of Hanukkah. “Representatives of the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV, who ruled over vast areas from Syria to Persia,” archaeologists say, “brought the knowledge and tradition of tile roof construction from Seleucid-controlled Syria.”

According to the history contained in the book of Maccabees, in 168 B.C. Antiochus IV undertook a military expedition to Jerusalem, which led to the outbreak of the famous Maccabean revolt. To establish his control over the city, Antiochus built a powerful fortress known as “Acra.” Greek soldiers residing in the fortress continued to rule the city even after the Maccabees purified the Temple in Jerusalem, and according to descriptions in the Books of Maccabees and in the later writings of Flavius Josephus, the fortress embittered the lives of the Jewish residents in the city and in the Temple. Despite numerous descriptions of the fortress in Jewish and external literary sources, its exact location within the city still remains an enigma debated by scholars.

According to Dr. Ayala Zilberstein of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel-Aviv University, “the architectural remains discovered in recent years have reopened the debate and actually strengthen the identification of the fortress on the hill of the City of David. The discovery of the tiles constitutes further evidence and reinforcement, in a different sense, for the identification of the Hellenistic presence in the City of David, characterized by foreign building traditions. Further research on many other tiles discovered in the previous archaeological expedition led by Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Dr. Yanna Tchekhanovets of the Israel Antiquities Authority may shed light on this issue.”

“Roof tiles,” the scholar continues, “were very rare in our region during this period, and were foreign to local building traditions, indicating that the technique of using roof tiles to cover parts of a tower or structure within that famous fortress was brought from Greek-controlled areas by foreign rulers.”

According to Dr. Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Until now, we had little material evidence of the presence of Seleucid Greeks in Jerusalem. The new tiles discovered in the City of David provide tangible remains of the Seleucid Greek presence in the region, connecting us to the story of Hanukkah. It is very exciting to meet ’face to face’ with the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV, almost 2,200 years after the events of Hanukkah.” The relatively poor climate and rainfall in Israel, as well as other factors, the scholar explains, “do not justify the use of roofing tiles, yet Antiochus still chose to use these tiles, probably for cultural reasons and to make a statement, introducing Greek monumental material culture into the country within a short distance of the Jewish Temple. It is probably therefore not coincidental that with the collapse of Seleucid rule and the rise of the Hasmoneans, the tiles disappeared from Jerusalem, until the arrival of the new Roman conquerors.”

According to Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “It is interesting to discover that roofing tiles have been a standard component for roofing throughout the world, although their design, shape and size have evolved over the centuries; it is amazing how such an everyday object can teach us so much.”

Jerusalem, 2nd century B.C. ceramic tiles discovered: oldest ever found in Israel

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