Jurgen,
sorry for having mismatched the strategic importance of Mahane Sakir (on a
mountain top) s of Tall Balata with that of the 'Greek/Greco-Roman' Sakir
'Askar (Sychar) in the plain n of it; on the classification of the latter as
'Hellenistic' etc., cf. your reference to H.M. Schenke_ZDPV 84, pp. 159-184
(if Schmitt is correct and the TAVO maps don't fool me again).
The strategic importance of Sakir 'Askar is given (so it seems), then,
perhaps for a Samaritan, but in any case Hellenistic majority of inhabitants
in that region after the campaign of John Hyrcan ~110 BC that had led to the
destruction of Shechem. Cf. the foundation of Neapolis by Vespasian, which
presupposes a Hellenistic (consequentely pro-Roman) population.
'capital city' indeed sounds somewhat exaggerated - better speak of a
'regional dominant location/strategic base' of the Samaritans (or something
alike). Hard to say if the anecdote or bonmot supports a connection to the
later conquer of Sakir 'Askar ('En Soker, acc. to TAVO BV 16.2 a
Greek/Phoenician city with uncertain autonomous character) in the campaign
of A. Jannai. I have to reread the two works of B. Bar-Kochva first.
Thx for the additional bibliographical refs.
Dierk
RU Nijmegen (NL)
qui ne cui taedium afferat
For private reply, e-mail to "Dierk van den Berg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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