Image

Samaria Ruins

Ruins of the Iron Age acropolis of Samaria,  9th century B.C.E. Photograph by Todd Bolen.

Samaria was established as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Omri, circa 884 B.C.E. In 1908, Harvard University sent the first archaeological team to excavate the site. Led by George A. Reisner, the team located the remains of a royal palace built during Omri’s reign atop the acropolis, in addition to other buildings constructed during later periods. Since then, the acropolis, or elevated fortified area, has been excavated down to the bedrock, revealing a number of Iron Age tombs below, including what are thought to be Omride royal tombs.

 

Acropolis at Samaria

Dug up, often from an archaeological site.

The stage of development during which humans used iron weapons; in the ancient Near East, approx. 1200 to 500 B.C.E.

The kingdom consisting of the northern Israelites tribes, which existed separately from the southern kingdom of Judah. According to the Hebrew Bible, all the tribes were part of a unified kingdom under David and Solomon, but the northern kingdom under Jeroboam I rebelled after Solomon's death (probably sometime in the late 10th century B.C.E.), establishing their independence. The northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C.E.

 NEH Logo
Bible Odyssey has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.