Shechem

Shechem (English: /ˈʃɛkəm/ ), also spelled Sichem (English: /ˈsɪkəm/ ; Hebrew: שְׁכֶם; ; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel following the split of the United Monarchy. According to , it was located in the tribal territorial allotment of the tribe of Ephraim. Shechem declined after the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel. The city later regained its importan…