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{{Short description|Biblical city in the West Bank}}
{{About|the biblical city of Shechem|the modern-day city in the West Bank|Nablus|Shechem, a son of Manasseh|Shechem (son of Manasseh)}}
{{For-text|Shechem, the biblical figure who raped Dinah|[[Dinah]] or [[Shechem (biblical figure)]]}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=May 2014}}
{{religious text primary|date=January 2018}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name           = Shechem
|native_name    = {{lang|hbo|שְׁכֶם}}
|alternate_name = Sichem
|image          =File:Tell Balata.jpg 
|alt   = 
|caption        =Archaeological site of [[Tell Balata]], identified with ancient Shechem 
|map_type       = West Bank#Mediterranean east
|map_alt        = 
|map_size       = 220
|relief=yes
|location       = [[Tell Balata]], [[West Bank]], [[Palestine]]
|region         =[[Southern Levant]] 
|coordinates    = {{coord|32.213618|35.281993|display=it}}
|type           = Capital city
|part_of        = 
|length         = 
|width          = 
|area           = 
|height         = 
|builder        = 
|material       = 
|built          = {{circa|1900 BCE}}
|abandoned      = 67 CE (destroyed)
|epochs         = 
|cultures       = 
|dependency_of  = 
|occupants      =[[Canaanites]], [[Israelites]], [[Samaritans]] 
|event          = 
|excavations    = 
|archaeologists = 
|condition      = 
|ownership      = 
|public_access  = 
|website        = 
|notes          = 
|native_name_lang=he|map_caption=Location within the West Bank##Location within the [[Eastern Mediterranean]]|map dot label=Shechem}}
'''Shechem''' ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|ə|ˈ|k|ɛ|m}} {{respell|shə|KEM}}; {{langx|hbo|שְׁכֶם|Šəḵem}}, {{IPA|hbo|ʃəˈxɛm|label=[[Biblical Hebrew|Biblical]] pronunciation:}}; {{langx|smp|ࠔࠬࠥࠊࠝࠌ|Šăkēm}}), also spelled '''Sichem''' ({{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|ˈ|k|ɛ|m}} {{respell|sik|KEM}}; in the [[Septuagint]], {{langx|grc-x-koine|Συχέμ|Sykhém}}) and other variants, was an ancient city in the [[Southern Levant]]. Mentioned as a [[Canaan]]ite city in the [[Amarna letters]], it later appears in the [[Hebrew Bible]] as the first capital of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)]] following the split of the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Monarchy]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a12.htm |title=I Book of Kings 12:25 |access-date=16 July 2010 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112175420/http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09a12.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to {{bibleverse|Joshua|21:20–21}}, it was located in the tribal territorial allotment of the [[tribe of Ephraim]]. Shechem declined after the [[Assyrian captivity|fall of the Kingdom of Israel]]. The city later regained its importance as a prominent [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] center of [[Hellenistic Palestine]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Shechem {{!}} Israel, Mountains, & History {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Shechem-ancient-Canaanite-city|access-date=2022-01-16|website=www.britannica.com|language=en}}</ref>

Traditionally associated with the city of [[Nablus]],<ref>' 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.</ref> 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 [[Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]] and ''Ša-ak-mi'' in Amarna letter 289, which indicates the first consonant was */θ/ at this time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rainey |first=Anson F. |date=2002 |title=The 'Amârnah Texts a Century after Flinders Petrie |url=https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?id=501774&url=article |journal=Ancient Near Eastern Studies |volume=39 |pages=44–75 |doi=10.2143/ANES.39.0.501774|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The name שְׁכֶם was understood to be derived from the Hebrew word שְׁכֶם ''shěkem'' "shoulder, [[Saddle (landform)|saddle]]", from Proto-[[West Semitic languages|West Semitic]] *''ṯVkm''- "the lowest part of the neck".<ref>{{Cite web |title=SEDonline |url=http://sed-online.ru/reconstructions/709 |access-date=2025-10-27 |website=sed-online.ru}}</ref> The sense of "shoulder" corresponds with the mountainous configuration of the city. 

==Geographical position==
[[File:Nablus and Balata in the Survey of Western Palestine 1880.11 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Balata in the 1880s in the [[PEF Survey of Palestine]]. [[Nablus]] is stated as being the location of Biblical Shechem, in contrast to the modern identification with [[Tell Balata]].]]
Shechem's position is indicated in the [[Hebrew Bible]]: it lay north of [[Bethel]] and [[Shiloh (Biblical city)|Shiloh]], on the high road going from [[Jerusalem]] to the northern districts ([[Book of Judges|Judges]] xxi, 19), at a short distance from [[Michmethath]] ([[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] 17:7) and of [[Dothain]] ([[Book of Genesis|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,<ref>St. Jerome, St. Epiphanius</ref> or located close to,<ref>[[Eusebius]], ''Onomasticon'', Euchem; Medaba map</ref> the town of Flavia Neapolis ([[Nablus]]).

==History==
Shechem was an ancient commercial center due to its position in the middle of vital trade routes through the region.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} An old "[[Way of the Patriarchs]]" trade route runs in the north–south direction.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

===Chalcolithic===
The oldest settlement in Shechem goes back to about five thousand years ago, during the [[Chalcolithic]] period (3500-3000 BCE). At that time agriculture was already practiced.<ref>[https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000231930 Tell Balata Archaeological Park: guidebook.] Palestine. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 2014 unesco.org</ref>

===Early Bronze===
During the Early [[Bronze Age]], activity seems to have moved to the nearby area of Khirbet Makhneh el-Fauqa.<ref name="mq.edu.au">[https://www.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/527734/NEAEHL-Shechem.pdf The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214005/https://www.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/527734/NEAEHL-Shechem.pdf |date=2 June 2021 }}, Volume 3. Ephraim Stern, ed. Israel Exploration Society & Carta, 1993</ref> Some publications claim that Shechem is mentioned in the third-millennium [[Ebla tablets]], but this has been denied by archaeologists.<ref>James D. Muhly, [http://cojs.org/ur_and_jerusalem_not_mentioned_in_ebla_tablets-_say_ebla_expedition_scholars-_james_d-_muhly-_bar_9-06-_nov-dec_1983/ 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.”</ref>

===Middle Bronze===
[[File:Sebek-khu Stele, Manchester Museum.jpg|thumb|The [[Sebek-khu Stele]], dated to the reign of [[Senusret III]] (reign: 1878–1839 BCE), records the earliest known Egyptian military campaign in the Levant. The text reads "Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretched Retenu", where Sekmem (s-k-m-m) is thought to be Shechem, and the "Retunu" or "[[Retjenu]]" a people of the Levant.]]
The first substantial building activity at Shechem (Strata XXII-XXI) dates from the Middle Bronze Age IIA ({{Circa|1900 BCE}}).<ref name="mq.edu.au"/> It became a very substantial [[Canaan]]ite settlement, and was attacked by Egypt, as mentioned in the [[Sebek-khu Stele]], an [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]ian [[Stela|stele]] of a noble at the court of [[Senusret III]] (c. 1880–1840 BCE). 

====Middle Bronze IIB====
Fortifications were made in the MB IIB (XX-XIX).<ref>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</ref>

===Late Bronze===
[[File:Amarna letter. Letter from Labayu (ruler of Shechem) to the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III or his son Akhenaten. 14th century BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. British Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Amarna letter EA 252]]. Letter from Labayu (ruler of Shechem) to the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III or his son Akhenaten. 14th century BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. British Museum]]
In the [[Amarna letters]] of about 1350 BCE, ''Šakmu'' (i.e., Shechem) was the center of a kingdom carved out by [[Labaya]] (or Labayu), a Canaanite warlord who recruited mercenaries from among the [[Habiru]]. Labaya was the author of three Amarna letters ([[Amarna letter EA 252|EA 252]], [[Amarna letter EA 253|EA 253]], and [[Amarna letter EA 254|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 BCE).<ref name=Gauthier10 /><ref name=Budge1033 /><ref>Muller, ''Asien und Europa'', p.&nbsp;394, Leipzig, 1893.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hannig |first1=Rainer |title=Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch (2800 – 950 v. Chr.) |date=1995 |isbn=3-8053-1771-9 |page=1385|publisher=P. von Zabern }}</ref> (See [[Papyrus Anastasi I]].)

===Iron Age===
====Iron Age II====
During the Iron Age II, Shechem was a city in the northern [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]]. It had an estimated population of 1,200 during the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, according to archaeologist [[William G. Dever]].<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Dever |first=William G. |title=Beyond the Texts: an archaeological portrait of ancient Israel and Judah |date=2017 |publisher=SBL Press |isbn=978-0-88414-218-8 |location=Atlanta |pages=393}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kartveit |first1=Magnar |title=Theories of the Origin of the Samaritans—Then and Now |journal=Religions |date=4 December 2019 |volume=10 |issue=12 |pages=661 |doi=10.3390/rel10120661 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

During the [[Babylonian captivity]] (606 to 536 BCE), [[Judea]]n and [[Samaria]]n remnants reestablished an altar at Shechem to keep the [[Yahwism|Israelite worship system]] going when access to both the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] and [[Mount Gerizim]] was cut off.<ref>Oded Lipschits, ''The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem: Judah under Babylonian Rule'' (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2005).</ref>

===Classical antiquity===
{{Main|Nablus}}
{{Further| Samaritan revolts}}

====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 CE, Shechem was annexed to the [[Roman Empire]] as the [[Judaea (Roman province)|province of Judea]]. [[Samaritans]] rose up in arms on Mount Gerizim at the time of the [[Galilee campaign (67)|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 CE, a new city, Flavia Neapolis, was built by [[Vespasian]] {{Convert|2|km|mi|sp=us}} 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".{{hiero|sꜣkꜣmꜣꜣ<ref name=Gauthier10>{{cite book |last1=Gauthier |first1=Henri |title=Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 5 |date=1928 |page=10 |url=https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1928/page/n7/}}</ref><ref name=Budge1033>{{cite book |last1=Wallis Budge |first1=E. A. |title=An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic alphabets, etc. Vol II |date=1920 |publisher=[[John Murray (publishing house)|John Murray]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft/page/1033 1033] |url=https://archive.org/details/egyptianhierogly02budguoft}}</ref>|<hiero>Aa18:Z1-V31:G1-U1-G1-T14-N25</hiero>|era=nk|align=right}}

During Emperor [[Hadrian]]'s reign, the temple on Mount Gerizim was restored and dedicated to [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Graetz |first1=Heinrich |title=From the reign of Hyrcanus (135 B.C.) to the completion of the Babylonian Talmud (500 C.E.) |date=1927 |publisher=G. Dobsevage |page=422 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYtXTDnC-Y4C&pg=PA422 |language=en}}</ref>

Like Shechem, Neapolis had a very [[early Christianity|early Christian community]], including the early saint [[Justin Martyr]]; bishops of Neapolis are mentioned.<ref>[[Philippe Labbe]], "Concordia", I, 1475, 1488; II, 325</ref> 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]].<ref>[[Procopius]], ''Buildings'', v, 7</ref>

===Later history===
{{Main|Nablus}}
The city of Nablus was Islamicized in the Abbasid and Ottoman periods.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} 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 [[Modern Hebrew|Hebrew]] speakers, even though the original site of Shechem lies east of the modern-day city.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Shechem.jpg|thumb|Shechem in 2013]]

==In the Bible==

===Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)===
[[File:שכם העתיקה.jpg|thumb|The old city of Shechem as seen from [[Mitzpe Yosef]]]]
Shechem first appears in the Hebrew Bible in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 12:6–8, which says that [[Abraham]] reached the "great tree of [[Givat HaMoreh|Moreh]]" at Shechem and offered sacrifice nearby.  Genesis, [[Deuteronomy]], [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] and [[Book of Judges|Judges]] hallow Shechem over all other cities of the land of Israel.<ref>Yitzakh Magen, "The Dating of the First Phase of the Samaritan Temple on Mt Gerizim in Light of Archaeological Evidence", in Oded Lipschitz, Gary N. Knoppers, Rainer Albertz (eds.) ''Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E.,'' Eisenbrauns, 2007 pp.157ff., 184.</ref> According to Genesis (12:6–7) Abram "built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him… and had given that land to his descendants" at Shechem. The Bible states that on this occasion, God confirmed the [[Covenant (biblical)|covenant]] he had first made with Abraham in Harran, regarding the possession of the land of Canaan.

On a later sojourn, two sons of [[Jacob]], [[Simeon (son of Jacob)|Simeon]] (Shimon) and [[Levi]], avenged their sister [[Dinah]]'s [[Kidnapping|abduction]] and [[rape]] by "[[Prince Shechem|Shechem]] the son of Hamor the [[Hivite]], the prince of the land" of Shechem.  Jacob's sons said to the Shechemites that if "every male among you is [[Circumcision|circumcised]], then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters to ourselves."<ref>Genesis 34:15–16</ref> Once the Shechemites agree to the mass circumcision, however, Jacob's sons except for [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] exploit the following soreness, with Shimon and Levi [[Massacre|massacring]] all of the city's men, and the rest robbing their treasures, and stealing their women.<ref>Genesis 34:24-39</ref> This eventually leads to Shimon and Levi not getting a [[Blessing of Jacob|blessing from Jacob]] for betraying his trust, hurting [[Innocence|innocents]], misusing religious rites and endangering their tribe to the [[wrath]] of neighbouring people.

Following the settlement of the Israelites in Canaan after their [[The Exodus|Exodus]] from Egypt, according to the biblical narrative, [[Joshua]] assembled the Israelites at Shechem and asked them to choose between serving the God of Abraham who had delivered them from Egypt, or the false gods which [[Terah|their ancestors]] had served on the other side of the [[Euphrates |Euphrates River]], or the gods of the [[Amorites]] in whose land they now lived. The people chose to serve the God of the Bible, a decision which Joshua recorded in the Book of the Law of God, and he then erected a memorial stone "under the oak that was by" in Shechem.<ref>Joshua 24:1–27</ref> The oak is associated with the Oak of [[Givat HaMoreh|Moreh]] where Abram had set up camp during his travels in this area.<ref>Genesis 12:6</ref>

Shechem and its surrounding lands were given as a [[Levitical city]] to the [[Kohathites]].<ref>Joshua 21:21</ref>

Owing to its central position, no less than to the presence in the neighborhood of places hallowed by the memory of Abraham (Genesis 12:6, 7; 34:5), [[Jacob's Well]] (Genesis 33:18–19; 34:2, etc.), and [[Joseph's tomb]] (Joshua 24:32), the city was destined to play an important part in the history of Israel.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} [[Gideon|Jerubbaal (Gideon)]], whose home was at [[Ophrah]], visited Shechem, and his concubine who lived there was mother of his son [[Abimelech (Judges)|Abimelech]] ([[Book of Judges|Judges]] 8:31). She came from one of the leading Shechemite families who were influential with the "Lords of Shechem" (Judges 9:1–3, wording of the [[New Revised Standard Version]] and [[New American Bible Revised Edition]]).<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/judges/9.htm Gill's Exposition] of Judges 9, accessed 29 October 2016</ref>

After Gideon's death, Abimelech was made king (Judges 9:1–45). [[Jotham (son of Gideon)|Jotham]], the youngest son of Gideon, made an allegorical speech on [[Mount Gerizim]] in which he warned the people of Shechem about Abimelech's future tyranny (Judges 9:7–20). When the city rose in rebellion three years later, Abimelech took it, utterly destroyed it, and burnt the temple of [[Baal-berith]] where the people had fled for safety. The city was rebuilt in the 10th century BC and was probably the capital of [[Ephraim]] (1 [[Books of Kings|Kings]] 4). Shechem was the place appointed, after [[Solomon]]'s death,{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}} for the meeting of the people of Israel and the investiture of his son [[Rehoboam]] as king; the meeting ended in the secession of the ten northern tribes, and Shechem, fortified by [[Jeroboam]], became the capital of the new kingdom (1 Kings 12:1; 14:17; 2 [[Book of Chronicles|Chronicles]] 10:1).

After the kings of Israel moved, first to [[Tirzah (ancient city)|Tirzah]] ({{bibleverse|1 Kings|14:17}}) and later on to [[Samaria]], Shechem lost its importance, and we do not hear of it until after the fall of Jerusalem (587 BC; {{bibleverse|Jeremiah|12:5}}). The events connected with the restoration were to bring it again into prominence. When, on his second visit to Jerusalem, [[Nehemiah]] expelled the grandson of the high priest [[Eliashib]] (probably the Manasse of Josephus, ''Antiquities'', XI, vii, viii) and with him the many Jews, priests and laymen, who sided with the rebel, these betook themselves to Shechem; a schismatic temple was then erected on Mount Garizim and thus Shechem became the "holy city" of the [[Samaritans]]. The latter, who were left unmolested while the orthodox Jews were chafing under the heavy hand of [[Antiochus IV]] ([[Antiquities of the Jews|''Antiquities'']], XII, v, 5, see also [[Antinomianism#Antinomianism in the Books of the Maccabees|Antinomianism in the Books of the Maccabees]]) and welcomed with open arms every renegade who came to them from Jerusalem (Antiq., XI, viii, 7), fell about 128 BC before [[John Hyrcanus]], and their temple was destroyed (''Antiquities'', XIII, ix, 1).

The [[Book of Judith]], which is considered scripture to the [[Roman Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodox]] and other Christian churches is set in a city called "Bethulia". Because there is no Bethulia, it is widely assumed that this is a pseudonym for another city. The most common theory is that the city of Bethulia is really Shechem, based on the geography described in the book. The [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] went as far as to state that Shechem is the only city to meet all the requirements for Bethulia's location, and stated: "The identity of Bethulia with Shechem is thus beyond all question".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9073-judith-book-of |title=Jewish Encyclopedia - Book of Judith}}</ref>

===New Testament===
Shechem is mentioned in the [[Book of Acts]] ([[Acts 7]], {{bibleverse|Acts|7:16}}).

It is not known whether the [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] city of '''Sychar''' ({{langx|grc|Συχάρ|Sykhár}}) in the [[Gospel of John]] ({{bibleverse|John|4:5}}) refers to Shechem or to another nearby village: "So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son [[Joseph]]."<ref name=zond>{{Cite book| publisher = Zondervan| isbn = 978-0-310-49235-1| last1 = Douglas| first1 = J. D.| last2 = Tenney| first2 = Merrill C.| title = Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary| date = 2011-05-03}}</ref>

[[John 4]] ({{bibleverse|John|4:15}}) mentions one of the women of Sychar going to [[Jacob's Well]]. Some scholars believe the location of Sychar is at the foot of [[Mount Ebal]], but other scholars disagree because the proposed location is {{Convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Jacob's Well, which they think is not close enough for the women of Sychar to have fetched their water there. Based on John 4:15, these scholars have argued that Shechem is the Samaritan city of Sychar described in the Gospel of John.<ref name=zond />

Some of the inhabitants of Sychar were "Samaritans" who believed in [[Jesus]] when he tarried two days in the neighborhood ({{bibleverse|John|4}}). Sychar and/or Shechem city must have been visited by the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] on their way from Samaria to Jerusalem ({{bibleverse|Acts|8:25}}).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==See also==
* [[Biblical archaeology]]
* [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Cornel Heinsdorff: "Christus, Nikodemus und die Samaritanerin am Jakobsbrunnen", Berlin/New York 2003, 218–220, {{ISBN|3-11-017851-6}}
* {{cite journal | author=Stager, Lawrence | year=2003 | title=The Shechem Temple Where Abimelech Massacred a Thousand | journal=[[Biblical Archaeology Review]] | volume=29:4 | issue=July/August | pages=26–35, 66, 68–69}}

==External links==
*{{Catholic|wstitle=Sichem}}
* [http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_shechem.html Full archaeological and biblical discussion of Shechem]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070429181011/http://www.shechem.org/ Guide to the Jewish Communities around Shechem]}}
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=573&letter=S ''Jewish Encyclopedia:''] Shechem

{{New Testament places associated with Jesus}}{{Ancient states and regions of the Levant}}{{Sites of the Israelite Settlement}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shechem| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 4th millennium BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 1st century]]
[[Category:60s disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in the West Bank]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Torah cities]]
[[Category:Canaanite cities]]
[[Category:Levitical cities]]
[[Category:Tribe of Ephraim]]
[[Category:ʿApiru]]
[[Category:Razed cities]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Palestine]]
[[Category:History of Nablus]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)]]
[[Category:Ancient Samaritan settlements]]
[[Category:Chalcolithic sites of Asia]]