Shechem ( ; ; ), also spelled Sichem ( ; in the Septuagint, ) and other variants, was an ancient city in the Southern Levant. Described in ancient Egyptian inscriptions from the 19th century BC as a part of Retjenu, it is also recorded as a Canaanite city in the 14th century BC Amarna letters.
In the Hebrew Bible, it is described as the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) following the split of the United Monarchy. According to Joshua 21:20–21, it was located in the tribal territorial allotment of the tribe of Ephraim. Shechem declined after the fall of the Kingdom of Israel. The city later regained its importance as a prominent Samaritan center during the Hellenistic period.
Traditionally associated with the city of Nablus,' The present Nābulus is a corruption merely of Neapolis; and Neapolis succeeded the more ancient Shechem. All the early writers who touch on the topography of Palestine, testify to this identity of the two.' William Smith (ed.) Dictionary of the Bible,, rev. and edited by H.B.Hackett and Ezra Abbot, Hurd & Houghton New York 1870, vol.IV, "Shechem"' pp.2952–2958, p.2953. Shechem is now identified with the nearby site of Tell Balata in Balata village in the West Bank, Palestine.
Etymology The name of Shechem is attested as sꜣkꜣmꜣꜣ in Ancient Egyptian and Ša-ak-mi in Amarna letter 289, which indicates the first consonant was */θ/ at this time. The name שְׁכֶם was understood to be derived from the Hebrew word שְׁכֶם shěkem "shoulder, saddle", from Proto-West Semitic *ṯVkm- "the lowest part of the neck". The sense of "shoulder" corresponds with the mountainous configuration of the city.
Geographical position
Shechem's position is indicated in the Hebrew Bible: it lay north of Bethel and Shiloh, on the high road going from Jerusalem to the northern districts (Judges xxi, 19), at a short distance from Michmethath (Joshua 17:7) and of Dothain (Genesis 37:12–17); it was in the hill-country of Ephraim (Joshua 20:7; 21:21; 1 Kings 12:25; 1 Chronicles 6:67; 7:28), immediately below Mount Gerizim (Judges 9:6–7). These indications are substantiated by Josephus, who says that the city lay between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, and by the Madaba map, which places its Sykhem between one of its two sets of "Tour Gobel" (Ebal) and the "Tour Garizin" (Garizim). The site of Shechem in patristic sources is almost invariably identified with,St. Jerome, St. Epiphanius or located close to,Eusebius, Onomasticon, Euchem; Medaba map the town of Flavia Neapolis (Nablus).
History Shechem (Tell Balata) was situated in a narrow valley separating Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, two of the largest mountains in Samaria. This valley was a principal highway for merchants and travelers moving in the hills between northern and southern Israel (see Way of the Patriarchs), and made Shechem a crucial trade hub in this region.
Nearby sites: Tell Dothan towards Jenin and the Yizreel Valley, and Tell el-Farah North, north of Jerusalem (50 km). An abundance of water, thanks to numerous natural springs and a high, stable water table, which made digging new wells easy. The fertile valley soil allowed an economy based on agriculture and livestock.
Chalcolithic The oldest settlement in Shechem goes back to about five thousand years ago, during the Chalcolithic period (3500-3000 BC). At that time agriculture was already practiced.Tell Balata Archaeological Park: guidebook. Palestine. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 2014 unesco.org
Early Bronze During the Early Bronze Age, activity seems to have moved to the nearby area of Khirbet Makhneh el-Fauqa.The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land , Volume 3. Ephraim Stern, ed. Israel Exploration Society & Carta, 1993 Some publications claim that Shechem is mentioned in the third-millennium Ebla tablets, but this has been denied by archaeologists.James D. Muhly, Ur and Jerusalem Not Mentioned in Ebla Tablets, Say Ebla Expedition Scholars, BAR 9:06, Nov-Dec 1983. – “There is no reference to Jerusalem in the Ebla tablets, the Italians say, nor is there any mention of Megiddo, Lachish, Shechem or the Biblical Cities of the Plain.”
Middle Bronze Middle Bronze IIA
The first substantial building activity at Shechem (Strata XXII-XXI) dates from the Middle Bronze Age IIA (). It became a very substantial Canaanite settlement, and was attacked by Egypt, as mentioned in the Sebek-khu Stele, an Egyptian stele of a noble at the court of Senusret III (c. 1880–1840 BC).
Middle Bronze IIB Fortifications were made in the MB IIB (XX-XIX).Seger, J. D., & סיגר, ג. (1975). הביצורים מתקופת-הברונזה התיכונה II בשכם ובגזר / THE MB II FORTIFICATIONS AT SHECHEM AND GEZER: A HYKSOS RETROSPECTIVE. Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies / ארץ-ישראל: מחקרים בידיעת הארץ ועתיקותיה, יב, 34*-45*. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23619089
This period marks the "urban revolution" of Shechem, where the site was transformed into a fortified stronghold. The Temenos 1 Wall: A massive enclosure wall was constructed to segregate the sacred area from the residential quarters. The Courtyard Temples: Archaeological evidence shows a series of three superimposed courtyard temples (901, 902, and 939) within the sacred precinct. These structures follow a Syrian-influenced architectural plan (Campbell, 2002).Campbell, E. F. (2002). Shechem III: The Stratigraphy and Architecture of Shechem/Tell Balata The city’s first true defensive wall (Wall D, an orthostat-lined structure) was erected during this phase.
The MB IIB pottery was studied by Cole.Cole, Dan P. (1984) Shechem I : the Middle Bronze IIB pottery
In Field VI the general strata were XVII (MB IIC), XVIII, XIX and XX (MB IIA-B or MB IIA).Cole 1984:11
In Field VI Stratum XX (MB IIA or MB IIA/B) is later than Tel Beit Mirsim G-F but earned the designation MB IIA-B, while Mazar (1967) saw Str. XX contemporary with Megiddo XII (MB IIA). In Field VI Stratum XIX (MB IIB1). (cf. Tel Beit Mirsim E) In Field VI Stratum XVIII (MB IIB2). (cf. Tel Beit Mirsim E) In Field VI Stratum XVII (MB IIC) pottery reflect a ceramic tradition more consistent with the preceding MB IIB strata.
In early MB IIB (MB IIB1), the western part of the city was separated from the other areas by a large north-south wall (Temenos Wall 900). Some 20 m to the west was a major wall (Wall D) marking the outer defense of the city.
Middle Bronze IIC The Middle Bronze IIC (c. 1590-1550 BC), coincides with the Hyksos period in the south and Egypt, and LB IA in the Northern Levant following the Hittite invasion.
Strata XVI–XV: Shechem reached its zenith of power and size during the MB IIC, characterized by massive monumental architecture. The Fortress Temple (Migdal): The courtyard temples were replaced by a massive "Fortress Temple" (Temple 2048). Its walls were approximately 5 meters thick, supporting a multi-story tower structure. This reflects the "Migdal" style prevalent in MB II Canaan (Mazar, 1990).Mazar, A. (1990). Archaeology of the Land of the Bible The city defenses were expanded. Wall A was a massive cyclopean wall, which was later supplemented by Wall B, a casemate wall system. Two sophisticated multi-chambered gates were constructed, providing controlled access to the city and the temple precinct.
Late Bronze Late Bronze IIA
In the Amarna letters of about 1350 BC, Šakmu (i.e., Shechem) was the center of a kingdom carved out by Labaya (or Labayu), a Canaanite prince who recruited mercenaries from among the Habiru. Labaya was the author of three Amarna letters (EA 252, EA 253, and EA 254), and his name appears in 11 of the other 382 letters, referred to 28 times, with the basic topic of the letter, being Labaya himself, and his relationship with the rebelling, countryside Habiru.
Late Bronze IIB Shechem may be identical to the Sakama mentioned in an account dated to the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt (around 1200 BC).Muller, Asien und Europa, p. 394, Leipzig, 1893. (See Papyrus Anastasi I.)
Iron Age A 2002 final published report on the stratigraphic and architectural evidence at Tell Balata indicates that there was a break in occupation between the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1150 BC) through to the early Iron Age II (c. 975 BC).Edward F. Campbell, Shechem III: The Stratigraphy and Architecture of Shechem/Tell Balâtah. Vol. 1. Text. Vol. 2. The Illustrations, American Schools of Oriental Research, 2002, A small quadrangular altar discovered in Tell Balata, similar to ones found in other Iron Age sites such as Tel Arad and Tel Dan, may have been used for burning incense.Becking, 2001, p. 52.
Iron Age II During the Iron Age II, Shechem was a city in the northern Kingdom of Israel. It had an estimated population of 1,200 during the 9th and 8th centuries BC, according to archaeologist William G. Dever.
During the Babylonian captivity (606 to 536 BC), Judean and Samarian remnants reestablished an altar at Shechem to keep the Israelite worship system going when access to both the Temple in Jerusalem and Mount Gerizim was cut off.Oded Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem: Judah under Babylonian Rule (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2005).
Classical antiquity
Hellenistic Period During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Shechem was the main settlement of the Samaritans, whose religious center stood on Mount Gerizim, just outside the town.
Roman Period - Province of Judea In 6 AD, Shechem was annexed to the Roman Empire as the province of Judea. Samaritans rose up in arms on Mount Gerizim at the time of the Galilee campaign in 67, which was part of the First Jewish–Roman War. Josephus, The Jewish War, III, vii, 32 states that Sextus Vettulenus Cerialis destroyed Shechem during that war.
In 72 AD, a new city, Flavia Neapolis, was built by Vespasian to the west of the old one; it is the origin of the current place-name of Nablus. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4.8.44, placed the city between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Elsewhere, he refers to it simply as "Neapolis".
During Emperor Hadrian's reign, the temple on Mount Gerizim was restored and dedicated to Jupiter.
Like Shechem, Neapolis had a very early Christian community, including the early saint Justin Martyr; bishops of Neapolis are mentioned.Philippe Labbe, "Concordia", I, 1475, 1488; II, 325 On several occasions, the Christians suffered greatly at the hands of the Samaritans. In 474, the emperor, to avenge what Christians considered an unjust attack by the Samaritans, deprived the latter of Mount Gerizim and gave it to the Christians, who built on it a church dedicated to the Mary, mother of Jesus.Procopius, Buildings, v, 7
Later history
The city of Nablus was Islamicized in the Abbasid and Ottoman periods. In 1903 near Nablus, a German party of archaeologists led by Dr. Hermann Thiersch stumbled upon the site called Tell Balata and now identified as ancient Shechem. Nablus is still referred to as Shechem by Israeli Hebrew speakers, even though the original site of Shechem lies east of the modern-day city.
In the Bible Shechem is mentioned 60 times in the Bible.
Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)