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Samaria

South of Galilee and north of Judea was Samaria, a land of big valleys with surrounding hills. Its territory was 20 miles from north to south and 30 miles from east to west. The inhabitants were the descendants of Assyrian colonists who had intermarried with the Jewish remnant that was left behind after the deportation of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. They claimed to be the true Israelites, and had set up their own temple and priesthood. Their holy place was Mount Gerazim, their holy book was the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses), and their holy city was Shechem between Mounts Gerazim and Ebal.

A Galilean pilgrim traveling south for the Passover would normally cross over the Jordan River through Decapolis (a federation of 10 Greek towns) and Perea (meaning "Transjordan") and completely avoid Samaria. It was in the wilderness of Perea that John the Baptist ministered and in the Perean fortress of Machaerus that he was beheaded.