Summary: Ancient roof tiles uncovered in the City of David, dating back over 2,000 years, provide evidence of a Greek Seleucid presence in Jerusalem.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all … – Romans 10:12 (ESV)
Greek Roof Tiles in Israel
Roof tiles, dating back over 2,000 years and the earliest found in the southern Levant, were discovered just outside the Old City of Jerusalem, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The ceramic tiles provide strong validation of a Greek presence in Jerusalem’s history and a tangible connection to the story of Hanukkah.
The historical significance of the ancient tiles comes from their foreign style, brought to Israel by the Greeks during the Hellenistic period of the second century BC, the time of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was the oppressor of the Hanukkah story who also built the famous Acra Fortress. Until recently, little physical evidence of a Greek Seleucid presence had been discovered in Jerusalem.
Sixteen tile fragments were unearthed at the Givati Parking Lot Excavations in the City of David National Park between 2017-2022, by IAA researchers Dr. Filip Vukosavović, Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger and Dr. Yiftah Shalev, Tel Aviv University Professor Yuval Gadot and Bar-Ilan University’s Efrat Bocher. Their findings were published in the Journal of Hellenistic Pottery in an article called, “Hellenistic Roof Tiles in Jerusalem.”
Maccabean Revolt
During the second century BC, Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes spread Greek culture as he reigned over vast areas from Syria to Persia. According to the Books of the Maccabees, in 168 BC he undertook a military expedition to Jerusalem. He enforced Hellenistic views in the city and desecrated the sacred Temple.
This led to the renown Maccabean Revolt, where a small band of poorly armed but faithful Jews, led by Judah the Maccabee, shockingly defeated the powerful Seleucid army. They reclaimed Jerusalem’s Holy Temple and rededicated “the contaminated altar.”
When they prepared to light the Temple’s menorah, they found only one day’s worth of uncontaminated olive oil. Miraculously, the supply of oil lasted for eight days, the time it took for new, ritual pure oil to be made. The holiday of Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, celebrates the miracle of the Temple’s rededication.
Antiochus and the Acra Fortress
As early as the seventh century BC, Greece invented ceramic roofing tiles which quickly became popular due to their durability and water resistance. However, they did not appear in Israel until 500 years later, when representatives of Antiochus IV brought the knowledge and tradition of constructing tiled roofs from Seleucid-controlled Syria.
In order to establish control of Jerusalem, Antiochus constructed a mighty fortress known as the “Acra.” Researchers suggest the unearthed tiles came from this building. Even after the Maccabean Temple cleansing, Greek soldiers continued to reside at the fortress.
“We know from the Book of the Maccabees and the Book of Matityahu the full story that the Greeks continued to rule the city for an additional 30 years and their government’s center was in the very famous Acra Fortress,” said Ayala Zilberstein of the IAA and Tel-Aviv University in a statement.
Despite several descriptions of the Acra stronghold, its exact location within the city still remained a matter of mystery and debate among scholars over the last 150 years of research. “Archaeologists and historians have turned over almost every stone in Jerusalem in an attempt to find it,” said Zilberstein.
Architectural remains uncovered over recent years have reopened the debate, and actually strengthen the identification of the fortress on the City of David Hill. “In 2015, a wall was discovered by Dr. Doron Ben Ami and Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets, which they suggested was the Acra Fortress,” Zilberstein explained.
“The discovery of the roof tiles constitutes additional evidence and further reinforcement from a different direction for the identification of the Hellenistic presence in the City of David,” she said. “Tiles were very rare in our region during this period, and they were alien to local construction traditions, indicating that the technique of using tiles to roof parts of a tower or a structure inside that famous fortress was brought from Greek-controlled areas by foreign rulers.”
Dating the Tiles
Researchers were able to identify the time period of the roof tiles using a process called stratigraphy. Each sediment layer can be dated by its contents. “We know that during certain periods, certain types of pottery vessels were used,” Filip Vukosavović of the IAA explained.
“In this case, it was really both the coins and the pottery itself that showed us that the strata or the layer where these roof tiles were found was sealed in the second century BCE,” Vukosavović continued.
To find out whether the tiles were brought by the Greeks or if they were made locally upon their arrival in Jerusalem, IAA Dr. Anat Cohen-Weinberger performed a petrography analysis which confirmed that the tile material was from the surrounding area.
“The clay is local, from an area west of Jerusalem called the Moza … with the addition of sand and straw, which are also local,” Vukosavović said. “Until now, we had little material evidence for the presence of the Seleucid Greeks in Jerusalem,” said Vukosavović. “The new tiles discovered in the City of David provide tangible remains of the Seleucid Greek presence in the region, linking us with the story of Hanukkah.”
Because of the hot and dry climate in Israel, tiles were not used for roofing. But according to Vukosavović, Antiochus chose to use them for his buildings likely for cultural reasons or to make a statement, especially such a short distance from the Jewish Temple. “It is therefore probably not incidental that with the collapse of Seleucid rule and the ascent of the Hasmoneans, roof tiles disappeared from Jerusalem until the arrival of the new Roman conquerors,” he said.
Conclusion
Almost 2,200 years after the events of Hanukkah, Vukosavović finds it exciting to encounter Antiochus IV “face-to-face.” The ancient roof tiles are, “one of the most exciting things we’ve found in the City of David, an object that provides very important testimony of a very important story in the history of the Jewish people, a story we all know well,” he said.
“Antiochus not only brought over his army, he also brought his culture, and we can see this culture very clearly in the roof tiles. This is amazing testimony of the Greeks’ presence in Jerusalem, of Antiochus IV who conquered Jerusalem and also built the Acra Fortress,” Vukosavović explained. “That is what really excites me, because after 2,000 years, we can physically return to the events of Hanukkah.”
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TOP PHOTO: Givati Parking Lot Excavations at the City of David. (credit: Kobi Harati/City of David)
