Watchtowers: the Roman System of Border Defense

Special thanks to our great sponsor World Anvil! Visit and use the code ROMANUM to get 51% off your yearly subscription: The watchtower was at the core of the Roman empire’s system of border defense in the European mainland. Placed at a fixed interval, the number of Roman watchtowers along the frontier must have been staggering in ancient times. But what role did they fulfill exactly, who manned the watchtowers and what was life like inside a watchtower? Find out in this documentary! 00:00 channel trailer 00:10 introduction 00:58 World Anvil 02:30 the system of border defense 05:09 design and defense 08:10 life inside the tower 11:30 watchtower duty 14:20 outro 15:01 the end