The arumah fortress (khirbet al-curma): A fortified site from the second temple period in eastern samaria

Khirbet al-'Urma is situated on the top of a prominent conical hill in eastern Samaria, about 7 km south of Shechem (Nablus). Scholars generally identify the site as Arumah - the home of Abimelech son of Gideon the Judge. In addition to its biblical identification, the site is of interest due to the remains of a Hasmonean-Herodian fortress consisting of a fortification wall, rectangular towers built in the Hellenistic style, and a series of large cisterns used to store rainfall runoff water. Such typical features, as well as the location on the top of a prominent hill, are characteristic of Second Temple period Judean forts and fortresses. This paper presents renewed archaeological documentation undertaken by the authors in 2009, following antiquities looting and uncontrolled development operations. The new data, its significance and historical background is presented and discussed in light of previous surveys undertaken in the 1980s by H. Eshel and Z. Erlich.