تل بلاطة | |
 . | |
  Shown within the West Bank | |
| Location | Nablus, West Bank, Palestine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°12′49″N 35°16′55″E / 32.213618°N 35.281993°E |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age, Iron Age, Hellenistic period |
| Cultures | Canaanite, Israelite, Samaritan, Hellenistic |
Tell Balata (Arabic: تل بلاطة) is the site of the remains of an ancient Canaanite and Israelite[1] city, identified since 1913 with the Biblical city of Shechem. It is located in the West Bank.[2] The built-up area of Balata, a Palestinian village and suburb of Nablus, covers about one-third of the tell, and overlooks a vast plain to the east.[3][4] The Palestinian village of Salim is located 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) to the east.[5]
The site is listed by UNESCO as part of the Inventory of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites of Potential Outstanding Universal Value in the Palestinian Territories.[2] Experts estimate that the towers and buildings at the site date back 5,000 years to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages.[2]
- ^ "Excavations done at former Israelite capital Shechem". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Haaretz service and Cnaan Liphshiz (2 March 2010). "Palestinian archeology gets int'l boost ahead of 2011 statehood plan". Haaretz. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Tell Balata". Visitpalestine.ps. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ Pfeiffer, 1966, p. 518.
- ^ Kalai, 2000, p. 114.