Just in time for Hanukkah, Israeli archaeologists are putting fragments of ceramic roof tiles from the same period as the Maccabean revolt on display to the public. Yaakov Schwartz explains their significance:

The shards, which date back to the 2nd century BCE, were uncovered in the City of David National Park surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem, and represent the earliest known evidence of ceramic roof tiles being put to use in the Land of Israel.

Ceramic roofing tiles were invented in Greece and may have been in use as early as the 7th century BCE, and their durability and water resistance caused them to catch on rapidly in nearby areas. But, in a phenomenon perhaps familiar to modern-day Israelis, the product wouldn’t be found in the Land of Israel for roughly another 500 years. In fact, it was representatives of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, who reigned over vast areas from Syria to Persia, who brought the knowledge and tradition of constructing tiled roofs from Seleucid-controlled Syria, said the researchers.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled from 175 to 164 BCE, was of course villain of the Hanukkah story against whom the Jews revolted.

Information about a supposedly near-finalized hostage deal continued to trickle out yesterday. While it’s entirely possible that by the time you read this a deal will be much more certain, it is every bit as likely that it will have fallen through by then. More likely still, we will learn that there are indefinite and unspecified delays. Then there are the details: even in the best of scenarios, not all the hostages will be returned at once, and Israel will have to make painful concessions in exchange, including the release of hundreds of hardened terrorists and the withdrawal from key parts of the Gaza Strip.

Unusually—if entirely appropriately—the president-elect’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has participated in the talks alongside members of President Biden’s team. Philip Klein examines the incoming Trump administration’s role in the process:

President-elect Trump has repeatedly warned that there would be “all hell to pay” if hostages were not returned from Gaza by the time he takes office. While he has never laid out exactly what the specific consequences for Hamas would be, there are some ominous signs that Israel is being pressured into paying a tremendous price.

There is obviously more here than we know. It’s possible that with the pressure from the Trump team came reassurances that Israel would have more latitude to reenter Gaza as necessary to go after Hamas than it would have enjoyed under Biden. . . . That said, all appearances are that Israel has been forced into making more concessions because Trump was concerned that he’d be embarrassed if January 20 came around with no hostages released.

While Donald Trump’s threats are a welcome rhetorical shift, part of the problem may be their vagueness. After all, it’s unlikely the U.S. would use military force to unleash hell in Gaza, or could accomplish much in doing so that the IDF can’t. More useful would be direct threats against countries like Qatar and Turkey that host Hamas, and threats to the persons and bank accounts of the Hamas officials living in those counties. Witkoff instead praised the Qatari prime minister for “doing God’s work” in the negotiations.”