Water as a Strategic Resource in the Western Samaria Region – The Unique Case of Deir Sam’an: The Water System that Has Been Operating for 1,500 Years

Abstract

ABSTRACT Maintaining a proper water supply is a subject of constant concern in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, including the Mediterranean Basin and, more specifically, Western Samaria. Solutions such as cisterns, reservoirs, water tunnels, and springs were developed and perfected throughout history to enable a regular supply of water to the local population. The case of Deir Sam’an is particularly interesting, as it seems the site's water storage capability is much larger than needed during its activity in the Roman-Byzantine period. At the site, located in Western Samaria, several Roman-Byzantine water systems were found including reservoirs and large cisterns. Its main water system, which is still operating, enables a reliable estimate of the available water amount to the site residents in antiquity. In the winter of 2020-2021, the daily precipitation volume and the annual rise in pool levels were measured and compared with the water amount at the end of the summer. The results validated that the water storage capability far exceeds the estimated demand of Deir Sam’an's population. This paper suggests that a large amount of water was utilized by the Byzantine Empire as a strategic management tool of settlement in the area to attract its preferred population to the Western Samaria region.