Tell Balata
تل بلاطة | |
. | |
| 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 an archaeological site in the West Bank near Nablus, Palestine, that includes the remains of an ancient Canaanite and Israelite (Samaritan) city, identified since 1913 with the Biblical city of Shechem. 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. The Palestinian village of Salim is located 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) to the east.
The site is listed by UNESCO as part of the Inventory of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites of Potential Outstanding Universal Value in the State of Palestine. Experts estimate that the towers and buildings at the site date back 5,000 years to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages.