Location: Samaria in the Bible is the central highland region of ancient Israel located between Galilee to the north and Judea to the south. What is Samaria called today? The Good Samaritan was a confusing statement for the incredulous listeners to the lesson Jesus taught that day. A second time, next year, he assailed it; but was again utterly routed, and was compelled to surrender to Ahab (1 Kings 20:28–34), whose army, as compared with that of Ben Hadad, was no more than "two little flocks of kids. The city together with the neighboring highland area became known as Samerina and was ruled by an Assyrian governor. Traces of the destruction wrought by Hyrcanus were found by the excavators, but the city was apparently resettled under Alexander Yannai. It later became the Sebaste village mosque, the Nabi Yahya Mosque ("mosque of the Prophet John"), preserving the old Christian tradition. [citation needed], The city was rebuilt without any major changes in the 2nd century AD by Septimius Severus when the city was established as a colony. Harvard Semitic Studies 44. In addition, according to inscriptions from Sargon's palace at Khorsabad, the inhabitants of Samaria were deported to Assyria. [citation needed], In Acts 8:4–13 it is recorded that Philip the Evangelist went down to the city of Samaria and preached the Christian gospel and healed the sick there. Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of modern names for biblical place names, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samaria_(ancient_city)&oldid=987031230, Populated places established in the 9th century BC, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from November 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. This probably meant permission was granted to the Aramean merchants to carry on their trade in the city. The Israeli government did not approve and the group that was removed from the site would later found the settlement of Elon Moreh adjacent to Nablus/Shechem. Samaria is one of those places and people that every Bible student will instantly recognize. After Herod’s death the country was ruled alternately by Herod’s direct descendants and by Roman procurators. It may be noticed that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem, the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a direct line. [citation needed](Nimrud Prisms, COS 2.118D, pp. [citation needed], It was the only great city of Israel created by the sovereign. Omri resided here during the last six years of his reign. And I counted them as Assyrians. The Archaeology of Israelite Samaria: Vol. 50 chariots for my royal force ... [the rest of them I settled in the midst of Assyria]. Fisher and D.G. The ruins of the city are located in the Samaria mountains of Palestine, almost 10 km (6.2 mi) to the northwest of Nablus. After Israel’s fall, Samaria as a region was in the central area of what used to be the northern kingdom. [citation needed], In the 12th century AD, a Latin (i.e. Harvard Semitic Studies 50. For a Jew to even pass through Samaria drew raised eyebrows from fellow Jews and Samaritans alike. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. As a result of the Jewish revolt that broke out in ad 66, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed (ad 70). I deported the rest of them. He "bought the hill of Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of the owner of the hill, Samaria." Two powerful herbal aids for internal self-healing. 1871. p. 179: 'stigmatized in guide-books as remarkable for rudeness and fanaticism' although this was not Ms Miller's experience. The fragment of a stela with an Assyrian inscription attributed to Sargon II was found on the eastern slope of the acropolis testifying to their presence. "Samaria-Sebaste: Clearance and Excavations (October 1965 – June 1967)". It is called in the Talmud the "land of the Cuthim," and is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all. Three 13 m diameter round towers dating to that period have been excavated (the first two by Harvard who attribute them to the Israelite period) and a later, massive, fortification wall with square towers. [citation needed], [the Samar]ians [who had agreed with a hostile king]. A small basilica church, first founded in the 5th century, was excavated on the southern slope of the acropolis. In 63 BC Samaria was annexed to the Roman province of Syria. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Company. Answer: Samaria was both a region and a city that experienced many changes throughout biblical history. Samaria, the central region of ancient Palestine. 1Ki 16:23,24 From the that of Omri's purchase, B.C. This page was last edited on 4 November 2020, at 13:06. President Trump is coming: FYI, he’s not The Messiah. The outstanding remains from this period are; the Augusteum, consisting of a temple and a large forecourt built over the Omride palace at the summit of the acropolis; a city gate and an east-west colonnaded street; a theater on the north-east slope of the acropolis; a Temple to Kore on a terrace north of the acropolis, and a stadium to the north-east in the valley below. After Herod’s death the country was ruled alternately by Herod’s direct descendants and by Roman procurators. Kenyon and G.M. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad II came up against it with thirty-two vassal kings, but was defeated with a great slaughter (1 Kings 20:1–21). Samaria extends for about 40 miles (65 km) from north to south and 35 miles (56 km) from east to west. Samaria as a city was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Samaria (Hebrew: שומרון‎, Shomron; Ancient Greek: Σαμάρεια, Samareia; Arabic: السامرة‎, as-Samira) was an ancient city, capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries BC. Water for the Roman city Sebaste was provided by an underground aqueduct that led into the area of the forum from springs in the east. During the time of Jesus, Samaria was located between Galilee to the north and Judea to the south. I repopulated Samaria/Samerina more than before. A number of mausoleums with ornate sarcophagi were excavated in the area of the modern village and adjoining fields. Crowfoot, J. W.; K.M. According to the Bible , Omri, the king of the northern kingdom of Israel (reigned c. 870s BC), purchased this hill from Shemer its owner for two talents of silver, and built on its broad summit the city to which he gave the name of "Shomron", i.e., Samaria, as the new capital of his kingdom instead of Tirzah (1 Kings 16:24). In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered this area and hauled most of the Israelites into captivity. Samaria occupied the centre of Palestine ( John 4:4). [citation needed] (Sargon II Inscriptions, COS 2.118A, p. 293), The inhabitants of Samaria/Samerina, who agreed [and plotted] with a king [hostile to] me, not to do service and not to bring tribute [to Ashshur] and who did battle, I fought against them with the power of the great gods, my lords. But just when success seemed to be within their reach, they suddenly broke off the siege, alarmed by a mysterious noise of chariots and horses and a great army, and fled, leaving their camp with all its contents behind them. 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