Shechem
שְׁכֶם | |
Archaeological site of Tell Balata, identified with ancient Shechem | |
Shechem Location within the West Bank Shechem Location within the Eastern Mediterranean | |
| Alternative name | Sichem |
|---|---|
| Location | Tell Balata, West Bank, Palestine |
| Region | Southern Levant |
| Coordinates | 32°12′49″N 35°16′55″E / 32.213618°N 35.281993°E |
| Type | Capital city |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1900 BCE |
| Abandoned | 67 CE (destroyed) |
| Associated with | Canaanites, Israelites, Samaritans |
Shechem (/ʃəˈkɛm/ shə-KEM; Biblical Hebrew: שְׁכֶם, romanized: Šəḵem, Biblical pronunciation: [ʃəˈxɛm]; Samaritan Hebrew: ࠔࠬࠥࠊࠝࠌ, romanized: Šăkēm), also spelled Sichem (/sɪˈkɛm/ sik-KEM; in the Septuagint, Koine Greek: Συχέμ, romanized: Sykhém) 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 BCE 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, Shechem is now identified with the nearby site of Tell Balata in Balata village in the West Bank, Palestine.