SHECHEM, an ancient town of Palestine, 6 m. S. of Samaria, mod. Nablus. The modern town lies in the valley between Ebal and Gerizim in a beautiful situation: pop. in 1931, 17,189 (a few Samaritans and Christians). The Samaritan quarter is in the south-west of the city and contains their synagogue. Nablus is connected by rail with the Haifa-Damascus line at Afuleh, and with the Lydda-Haifa line at Tulkarem.
The site was occupied in patriarchal times by Hivites (Gen. xxxiv., 2). There Jacob and his family settled for a time (Gen. xxxiii., 18). It was set apart as a city of refuge (Josh. xx., 7). Abimelech, son of Gideon, was for a space ruler in Shechem (Judges viii., 31). Rehoboam's foolish speech there set the northern kingdom on fire ; and Jeroboam made it his head quarters (I Ki. xii.). The rise of Samaria (q.v.) threw Shechem into the shadow and it disappears from history during the latter part of the Hebrew monarchy. The rise of the Samaritan corn munity from the colonists settled by Sargon and Ashurbanipal, and the downfall of Samaria contributed to its resurrection. To Josephus it was Neapolis (whence modern Nablus) or Flavia, so called to commemorate its restoration by Titus Flavius Vespasian.
A bishopric was set up at Neapolis and a Samaritan attack on him (A.D. 474) was punished by Zeno, who gave Gerizim (q.v.) to
the Christians. Captured by crusaders (1099), it was lost to Saladin (1184), the church the crusaders had built being con verted into a mosque. The soldiery of Ibrahim Pasha pillaged the town in 1834. On Sept. 21, 1918, it was occupied by British troops.
Shechem is the traditional site of the tomb of Joseph. One and a half miles on the way to Jerusalem is the well of Jacob, an identification most probably authentic. The "sacred oak" (Gen. xxv., 4) has been sought at El 'Amild, and at Balata less than a mile from the town to the east. Excavations now in progress (1928) at Balata have revealed a blunt topped pyramid, 131 ft. square and 16 ft. high, part evidently of a tower in the fortifications. Near to it were found cubical cellars re sembling corn granaries such as were found at Pithom in Egypt. Below the fortifications are traces of an older city dating from 1700 B.C. It was seemingly destroyed in 1300 B.C. The Balata site is now identified with Migdal-Schechem ("tower of Shechem," Judges ix., 49). Other discoveries there include the remains of a palace (18th century B.c.), a temple (to Baal-Berith?) and two cuneiform tablets, one containing a list of witnesses and the other a letter. (E. Ro.)