and made it his capital. Samaria functioned as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel (the "Northern Kingdom") until its fall to the Assyrians in the 720s. Hebrew prophets condemned Samaria for its "ivory houses" and luxury palaces displaying pagan riches.

The archaeological record suggests that Samaria experienced significant settlement growth in Iron Age II (from 950 BC). Archaeologists estimate that there were 400 sites, up from 300 during the previous Iron Age I ( 1200 BC onwards). The people dwelt on tells,