Spent a lovely afternoon in Tel Balata–Shechem in the Bible. Of course, “Shechem” plays dominant roles in both Testaments: the Jacob cycle in Genesis, Joshua-Judges (especially Judges 9 which I think is central to understanding an important segment of Samaria’s history), and Jesus with the Samaritan woman to name just a few. I have dreamed of coming to this place for decades.
“The only such polity in the northern part of the central hill country that had not been ruled from the area of Shechem is the Gibeon/Gibeah entity of the Late Iron 1.” I Finkelstein, 2013.
“And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants” (Jos 24:32).
Spoiler alert: rocks, rocks and more rocks.
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