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.
Read more on Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/gimme-shelter-ceramic-roof-tiles-cast-light-on-greek-presence-in-hanukkah-era-jerusalem/