The tiles of Israel

During an excavation carried out by researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel-Aviv University in the City of David National Park, 16 fragments of tiles dating back to the Hellenistic age were found ( 2nd century BC). They are the oldest tiles (known to date) found in this region.

The exceptional nature of the discovery, however, is not this. The second century before the birth of Jesus is in fact a key period. After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided into smaller kingdoms, ruled by some of his generals. The part corresponding to the Near East (including Mesopotamia, Syria, Persia and Asia Minor) was dominated by the Seleucid dynasty. Mithridates also belonged to this dynasty, who in 175 BC. he came to power with the name of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the book of Maccabees, in 168 BC. Antiochus IV carried out a military expedition against Jerusalem, conquering the city. The atrocities committed by the Seleucid army were the cause of the Maccabean revolt. Antiochus IV plundered the furnishings of the Temple, consecrating it instead to Jupiter Olympus and built a fortress, called Akra. Despite the descriptions present in Jewish and non-Jewish literary sources, to date the exact location of the Seleucid fortress is not known. The discovery of fragments of tiles belonging to this period in the area of the city of David may be a clue to be linked to the Seleucid fortress. In fact, before Roman domination, tiles were little used in the area, so much so that these are the oldest, but also among the few found. In the Greek world, however, they were the most widespread technique for building the roofs of houses. The presence of the tiles could therefore indicate the location of the fortress, built by the foreign king, of Greek culture.

After the fall of the Seleucid kingdom and the rise of the Hasmoneans the tiles disappear in the archaeological record of the region until Roman rule. «It is surprising how such a small discovery can open windows into the vast world of research» say the researchers who participated in the excavation.


Agnese Picco
NP January 2024