Samaria (Hebrew: שֹׁמְרוֹן Šōmrōn; Akkadian: 𒊓𒈨𒊑𒈾 Samerina; Greek: Σαμάρεια Samareia) was the capital city of the northern Kingdom of Israel between c. 880 BC and c. 720 BC. The city gave its name to the surrounding region of Samaria, a historical region bounded by Judea to the south and by Galilee to the north. Strategically situated on a high hill, Samaria commanded views of the surrounding fertile countryside and was located near key trade routes connecting the highlands with the coastal plain.

Samaria was founded as Israel's royal capital by King Omri (884–873 BC), replacing Tirzah. According to the biblical account, which was composed in Judah but likely preserves records from Israel (possibly from Samaria itself), Omri purchased the hill from its previous owner, Shemer, for two talents of silver. Under the Omride dynasty, Samaria developed into a major royal and administrative center. Excavations reveal a massive palace complex, one of the largest in the Levant from this period, constructed in two main phases corresponding to the reigns of Omri and his successor, Ahab. Notable finds from the Israelite period include the Samaria Ivories, intricately carved ivory fragments inspired by Phoenician art, and the Samaria Ostraca, Hebrew-inscribed potsherds recording transactions such as shipments of wine and oil, which provide insight into the kingdom's bureaucratic organization.

After the Assyrian conquest of Israel c. 720 BC, Samaria was annexed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire and continued as an administrative centre. It retained this status in the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Achaemenid Persian Empire before being destroyed during the Wars of Alexander the Great. The town was re-established as a military colony populated by Macedonian settlers, a status it retained until its conquest by the Hasmoneans. Later, under the hegemony of the Roman Republic and the subsequent Roman Empire, the city was rebuilt and expanded by the Jewish king Herod the Great, who also fortified it and renamed it "Sebastia" in honour of the Roman emperor Augustus.

The ancient city's hill is where the modern Palestinian village, retaining the Roman-era name Sebastia, is situated. The local archeological site is jointly administered by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and is located on the hill's eastern slope. The remains are situated on the eastern part of the hill, and include the Omride palace, fortifications, the Herodian Augusteum, a stadium, and other public structures.

Samaria's biblical name, Šōmrōn (שֹׁמְרוֹן), means "watch" or "watchman" in Hebrew. The Hebrew Bible derives the name from the individual (or clan) Shemer (Hebrew: שמר), from whom King Omri (ruled 880s–870s BC) purchased the hill in order to build his new capital city (1 Kings 16:24).

In earlier cuneiform inscriptions, Samaria is referred to as "Bet Ḥumri" ("the house of Omri"); but in those of Tiglath-Pileser III (ruled 745–727 BC) and later it is called Samirin, after its Aramaic name, Shamerayin. The city of Samaria gave its name to the mountains of Samaria, the central region of the Land of Israel, surrounding the city of Shechem. This usage probably began after the city became Omri's capital, but is first documented only after its conquest by Sargon II of Assyria, who turned the kingdom into the province of Samerina.

Samaria is strategically situated on a steep, high hill in a fertile region, commanding key trade routes and offering a commanding view of the surrounding countryside, which enhanced its defensive and administrative significance. In antiquity, the city was situated northwest of Shechem, near a major road leading westward to the Sharon Plain on the coast, and another heading northward through the Jezreel Valley to Phoenicia. This advantageous position likely played a role in Omri's foreign policy. The city lies approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Jerusalem.

Archaeological evidence indicates that the hill of Samaria was already occupied and cultivated in the Iron Age I, several centuries before Omri purchased the site in the 9th century BC. Bedrock installations, including oil and wine presses as well as bell-shaped cisterns, point to intensive agricultural activity during this period, particularly in viticulture and olive production. Pottery from Samaria's earliest phases includes forms datable no later than the 11th century BC, with close parallels at Megiddo, Taanach, and Tell Qasile. This material demonstrates continuous activity on the site from at least the 11th century until the establishment of Omri's capital in the early 9th century.