In the left-hand image below, archaeologist Ross Voss takes a break next to the freshly excavated walls of an agricultural watchtower, which guarded an irrigated farm near Nazareth in the First Century AD. These towers – built by individual families to safeguard valuable plots of farmland – were once a common sight along the hills of ancient Galilee, Samaria and Judea. Many contained inner rooms used for shelter, storage and possible wine cellars. In the lower Galilee, most watchtowers appear to have been solid, used only for guarding crops and perhaps storing stones for building. Although many can still be found in Judea and Samaria, Galilean watchtowers are increasingly rare.
Ancient watchtower in the West Bank (Samaria)
