Palestine - Old Town of Nablus and its environs

Tell Balata, identified with ancient Shechem, represents the earliest settlement in the Nablus area. It is located at the eastern entrance of modernNablus, between Mount Ebaland Mount Gerizim (see number 4 above). Shechem was mentioned in the Egyptian Execration texts and the Khu-Sebek inscription from the 19th century B.C. It was mentioned in the Amarna Letter in the 14th century BC as a major Canaanite centre ruled by Lab’aya. Shechem is mentioned several times in the Bible. The biblical traditions relate Abraham, Jacob and Joseph to the site. A series of excavations were carried out during the last century by the Austro-German Expedition, 1913-1934, and the Joint American Expedition, 1956, 1968-1969. The excavations revealed the occupational history of the site. Evidence of Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Hellenistic and Roman remains were uncovered. Shechem was established as a small settlement during the 4th millennium, with an urban centre during the Middle Bronze Age II and Late Bronze Age. The city continued to be occupied during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. After a period of abandonment during the Iron Age, the city was re-occupied during the Hellenistic period. The Samaritan Shechem was destroyed several times, then destroyed and fully abandoned during the early Roman period. The city then shifted to new site of Neapolis.