Eyes to the East: Round Watchtowers Overlooking the Roads Leading from the Jordan Valley to the Kingdom of Israel in Iron Age II

Authors

• Ron Be’eri, Israel Antiquities AuthorityFollow
• Avishay Oz, Israel Antiquities AuthorityFollow
• Аlexander Wiegmann, Israel Antiquities AuthorityFollow
• Yael Widerker Hilu, Israel Antiquities AuthorityFollow
• Tzachi Lang, Israel Antiquities AuthorityFollow

Abstract

A small, isolated round tower, dating from the Iron Age, was unearthed near the settlement of Poriyya, overlooking the Jordan Valley. This tower is discussed below together with other, similar Iron Age structures exposed in eastern Samaria, which were built along main roads in the Kingdom of Israel under the initiative of the rulers of the Omride dynasty. It is suggested that these towers commanded the Jordan River crossings and the Gil‘ad Mountains, controlling the routes ascending from the Jordan Valley to the key administrative regions of the Kingdom of Israel. The research presented below considers historical sources dating from the second and first millennia BCE that relate to such towers, as well as data accumulated from previous excavations and surveys of contemporary round towers, to reconstruct their plan and function.

Keywords

Iron Age, Kingdom of Israel, Jordan Valley, tower, roads, Samaria

Recommended Citation

Be’eri, Ron; Oz, Avishay; Wiegmann, Аlexander; Widerker Hilu, Yael; and Lang, Tzachi (2026) "Eyes to the East: Round Watchtowers Overlooking the Roads Leading from the Jordan Valley to the Kingdom of Israel in Iron Age II," 'Atiqot: Vol. 120, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.2409
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol120/iss1/4