Strategic Water Management in the Fortified Monasteries of Western Samaria as a Tool for Controlling an Agricultural Region

Toward the end of the Roman and the beginning of the Byzantine periods, similar, impressive, fortified structures were built in Western Samaria. During the latter period, these structures began to function as fortified monasteries of martial character, all possessing highly sophisticated water systems that share a common construction plan. This article reviews the water systems of four sites—Deir Sam‘an, Deir Qal‘a, Deir Daqle and Deir el-‘Arab—as part of a renewed survey of water reservoirs in the area. The study revealed that their water storage capacities exceeded their inferred populations’ needs. Thus, it is concluded that the monasteries’ water infrastructure had a central role in exerting control over the region and developing agriculture in Western Samaria during the Byzantine period.