city
Shechem (Tell Balata)
Tell Balata, Nablus, West Bank (Palestine) · Wider Abrahamic world
32.214, 35.282
Attested. The tell is securely identified. The patriarchal associations are traditional (biblical narrative).
This photograph shows the modern city, or the Wikipedia lead subject, rather than the ancient site itself.
Shechem was the ancient city between Gerizim and Ebal. It is tied to Abraham, Jacob and Joshua in the Hebrew Bible and was the Samaritan capital in the Hellenistic period, until John Hyrcanus destroyed it (c. 107 BCE). Nearby are the traditional Jacob's Well (John 4) and Joseph's Tomb.
Source stance: neutral.
People and groups named here
- Jacob
- Joshua
- John Hyrcanus
- The Samaritan woman (John 4)
Sources
- "Shechem", Jewish Encyclopedia (1906)
Jewish Encyclopedia / Funk & Wagnalls (public domain). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Shechem (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Sychem (Pleiades place 678403)
Pleiades Gazetteer (CC BY 3.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.