Shechem

Lore & Background

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. 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, or located close to, the town of Flavia Neapolis (Nablus).

Reader's Guide

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. The oldest settlement in Shechem goes back to about five thousand years ago, during the Chalcolithic period (3500-3000 BC). During the Early Bronze Age, activity seems to have moved to the nearby area of Khirbet Makhneh el-Fauqa. Some publications claim that Shechem is mentioned in the third-millennium Ebla tablets, but this has been denied by archaeologists. The first substantial building activity at Shechem (Strata XXII-XXI) dates from the Middle Bronze Age IIA (c. 1900 BC). 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). Fortifications were made in the MB IIB (XX-XIX). This period marks the 'urban revolution' of Shechem, where the site was transformed into a fortified stronghold. 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. 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. Shechem may be identical to the Sakama mentioned in an account dated to the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt (around 1200 BC). (See Papyrus Anastasi I.) 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). During the Iron Age II, Shechem wa

Did You Know?

• Shechem is described in ancient Egyptian inscriptions from the 19th century BC as a part of Retjenu.
• The name Shechem is understood to be derived from the Hebrew word for 'shoulder' or 'saddle,' referring to the mountainous configuration of the city.
• Shechem was the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) after the split of the United Monarchy.
• The city was destroyed by Sextus Vettulenus Cerialis during the First Jewish–Roman War in 67 AD.