Straton's Tower

The dating of round towers figures prominently in attempts to identify archaeological remains of Straton's Tower (later rebuilt by Herod the Great and

4.4 Round tower at Caesarea.

Renamed Caesarea Maritima). Straton's Tower was a small town on the Palestinian coast, located south of the modern city of Haifa. The town's name refers to the Phoenician king (Straton or Strato), who founded it in the fourth century B. C.E., when the Palestinian coast was under the rule of Tyre and Sidon. Although many different archaeological expeditions have worked at Caesarea since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, remains associated with Straton's Tower have proven elusive. Apparently, when Herod rebuilt the town as Caesarea, most of the earlier remains were obliterated.

The town's name suggests that a tower was a prominent feature. Therefore, attempts to identify Hellenistic period remains have focused on a round tower that is incorporated into the (later) Herodian city wall on the north side of Caesarea. The fact that the tower is round suggests an early date to some archaeologists. However, unlike at Samaria, the round tower at Caesarea is built of stones laid as both headers and stretchers. Furthermore, unlike at Samaria, at Caesarea the faces of the stones have drafted margins (that is, the four edges of the stone are smooth) and rough, projecting center panels (called “bosses"). This masonry style is characteristic of the late second and first centuries B. C.E. Therefore, most archaeologists date the round tower at Caesarea either to the time of Herod the Great or to the late Hellenistic period (ca. 100 B. C.E.).