Samaria (ancient city)

Samaria (שֹׁמְרוֹן; Σαμάρεια, Samareia; السامرة, as-Samira) was a city in the historical region of Samaria that served as the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel during the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. Towards the end of the 8th century BCE, possibly in 722 BCE, Samaria was captured by the Neo-Assyrian Empire and became an administrative center under Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian rule. During the early Roman period, the city was expanded and fortified by Herod the Great, who renamed it "Sebastia" in honor of emperor Augustus. The ancient city's hill is where the modern Palestinian village of Sebastia, which retains its Roman name, is located. The archeological site, subject to a shared Israeli–Palestinian control, is located on the hill's eastern slope. Samaria's biblical name, Šōmrōn (שֹׁמְרוֹן), means "watch" or "watchman" in Hebrew. The Bible derives the name from the individual (or clan) Shemer (שמר), from whom King Omri (ruled 880s–870s BCE) purchased the hill in order to build his new capital city (). In earlier cuneiform inscriptions, Samaria is referred to as "Bet Ḥumri" ("the house of Omri"); but in those of Tiglath-Pileser III (ruled 745–727 BCE) and later it is called Samirin, after its Aramaic name, Shamerayin. The city of Samaria gave its name to the mountains of Samaria, the central region of the Land of Israel, surrounding the city of Shechem. This usage probably began after the city became Omri's capital, but is first documented only after its conquest by Sargon II of Assyria, who turned the kingdom into the province of Samerina. Samaria was situated north-west of Shechem, located close to a major road heading to the Sharon Plain on the coast and on another leading northward through the Jezreel Valley to Phoenicia. This location may be related to Omri's foreign policy. Strategically perched atop a steep hill, the city had a clear and good view of the nearby countryside. In the 9th and the 8th centuries BCE, Samaria was the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel.