אסטרטגיית ניהול המים במנזרי מערב השומרון בתקופה הרומית־ביזנטית ככלי לשליטה במרחב גיאוגרפי־חקלאי

Towards the end of the Roman period and the beginning of the Byzantine era, a series of impressive, fortified structures with similar characteristics were built in western Samaria. Sometime during the Byzantine period, these structures began to function as fortified monasteries of a military nature. Highly advanced water systems were found at these sites, built according to a similar construction plan. This article reviews the water systems of four selected sites – Deir Samʿan, Deir Qalʿa, Deir Dikla, and Deir el-ʿArab – in light of a renewed survey of reservoirs conducted in the area. The study reveals that these monasteries possessed water storage capabilities far exceeding their estimated population needs. The extensive water infrastructure suggests that these monasteries played a central role in exerting control over the region and developing agriculture in western Samaria during the Byzantine period.