Watchtowers, Mastic Contraband and Rural Communities in the Aegean Archipelago under Ottoman Sovereignty
Journal: The Historical Review/La Revue Historique
Year: 2013

&lt;p&gt;The construction of watchtowers on the islands of the Aegean Archipelago was common practice for Western peoples in the context of a systematic effort to provide military protection for agricultural areas and the populations of their rich commercial colonies. After the weakening of these colonies and the arrival of the Ottomans, the watchtowers, known as viglae, continued to operate, as they were closely associated with the socio-economic, everyday life of the region’s residents. Using