Archaeology of the Military Orders: A Survey of the Urban Centres, Rural Settlements and Castles of the Military Orders in the Latin East

337 Pages·2006·6.79 MB·English

by  Adrian Boas

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE
MILITARY ORDERS
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Military Orders played an active role in
the defence of the Latin States in the East (modern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and
Cyprus) and administered various urban and rural properties. They were also signifi-
cantly involved in the various activities relating to the welfare of the Frankish populace
and of the pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
This book presents a detailed description of the archaeological evidence for the five
Military Orders active in the Latin East – the Hospitallers, Templars, Teutonic Knights,
Leper Knights of St Lazarus and Knights of St Thomas. The three principal sections of
the book consist of chapters relating to the urban quarters of the Orders in Jerusalem,
Acre and other cities, their numerous rural possessions, and the tens of castles built or
purchased and expanded by them in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The distinctive
architecture relating to their various undertakings (such as hospitals in Jerusalem and
Acre) is discussed in detail, with emphasis on the important role of the Military Orders
in the development of military architecture in the Middle Ages.
Adrian J. Boas is Senior Lecturer at the University of Haifa. He has published several
articles and two books on Crusader archaeology.

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE
MILITARY ORDERS
A survey of the urban centres, rural
settlement and castles of the Military
Orders in the Latin East (c. 1120–1291)
Adrian J. Boas
IN MEMORY OF MY FATHER
NORMAN SAMUEL BOAS
First published 2006
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2006 Adrian J. Boas
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 10: 0-415-29980-2 ISBN 13: 978-0-415-29980-0
CONTENTS
List of figures ix
Preface and acknowledgements xii
List of abbreviations xiv
Chronological summary xvi
Background 1
The idea of the Military Order 2
Establishing a foothold: the foundation of the Order of the Knights of the
Temple 2
The foundation of the Military Order of the Hospital of St John 4
The Teutonic Knights 6
The Leper Knights of St Lazarus 7
The Order of St Thomas of Canterbury 7
Expansion in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries 8
The armies of the Military Orders 10
Contemporary sources 11
Archaeological research of the Military Orders 12
PART I
Urban administrative centres 15
1 The urban Quarters of the Templars 19
The Templars’ Quarter in Jerusalem 19
The Templars’ Quarters in Acre 29
The Templar faubourg in Chateau Pelerin 32
Templar possessions in other towns of the Latin East 38
2 The urban Quarters of the Hospitallers 43
The Hospitallers’ Quarter in Jerusalem and the Asnerie 43
The Hospitallers’ possessions in Acre 49
Hospitaller possessions in other towns of the Latin East 58
v
CONTENTS
3 The urban quarters of the Teutonic Knights 61
The German Quarter and tower in Acre 61
Possessions of the Teutonic Knights in other towns of the Latin East 63
4 The urban quarters of the Leper Knights of St Lazarus 64
The leper Quarter outside the walls of Jerusalem 64
The Quarter of the Leper Knights of St Lazarus in Acre 65
Other urban possessions of the Leper Knights of St Lazarus in the
Latin East 66
5 The quarter of the Knights of St Thomas 67
PART II
The rural activity of the Military Orders 69
6 Expansion into the countryside 71
Hospitaller rural possessions 71
Templar rural possessions 86
Teutonic rural possessions 89
Rural possessions of the Order of St Lazarus 92
7 Sugar-cane cultivation and the sugar industry 93
PART III
The defence of the Latin East 95
8 Castles and the defensive role of the Military Orders 99
Defending pilgrim travel in the Kingdom of Jerusalem 102
The establishment of marches and the defence of borders and passes 103
Castles controlling passage on the roads and serving as toll collecting posts 104
Castles as central administrative headquarters of an Order 105
Castles used for the administration of rural properties 105
9 The choice of plan: castle typology, design, location and function 106
Tower keeps 108
Large enclosure castles 113
Quadrangular enclosure castles with projecting towers (quadriburgia) 116
Spur castles 126
Hilltop (and island) castles 136
Others 148
vi
CONTENTS
10 Non-defensive components of a castle 149
Chapels 149
Chapter houses 155
Halls 155
Dormitories 156
Water systems 156
Latrines and waste disposal 157
Bathhouses 159
Refectories 159
Kitchens 160
Mills, presses, bakery ovens and forges 160
Storage and stables 163
11 Elements of fortification 165
Gate complexes 165
Posterns (sally ports) 168
Portcullises 168
Machicolation, murder-holes (meurtrières)and hoardings 170
Curtain walls, battlements (wall-head defences), arrow-slits, embrasures and
the chemin de ronde 173
Forewalls (antemuralia) and barbicans (barbicana) 175
Projecting wall towers 176
The talus (glacis) 178
The moat (ditch) 179
12 Stonemasonry and construction techniques 182
The choice of stone 182
Foundations 183
Wall construction 183
Types of masonry 184
Masons’ marks 187
Property ownership and ownership marks 187
13 Weapons, arms and armour 190
Siege weapons 190
Arms 191
Armour 193
vii
CONTENTS
PART IV
Additional archaeological evidence 195
14 Daily life of the Military Orders 197
At the table 198
Tableware and eating utensils 199
Sleeping quarters 202
Bathing and hygiene 202
Games and other forms of recreation 203
Seals and bullae 204
Horse equipment: shoes, bridles, spurs and saddle fittings 206
15 Works of art in urban sites and castles of the Military Orders 208
Sculpture 208
Frescoes and painted decoration 213
The reliquary of the Church of St John the Baptist 215
Conclusion 217
Appendix I Chronology of castles 220
Appendix II Gazetteer of sites of the Military Orders 222
Notes 260
Bibliography 291
Index 307
viii
FIGURES
1 Map of the Crusader states xviii
2 Map of Crusader Jerusalem showing the Quarters of the Military Orders 16
3 Architectural sculpture on the Temple Mount area, Jerusalem 22
4 Ruins of the Templar Palace in Acre, 1752 30
5 Plan of the faubourg, Chateau Pelerin 33
6 Plan of Templar castle at Tortosa 39
7 Wall and rock-cut talus of Tortosa Castle 40
8 Plan of the Hospitaller compound in Jerusalem 44
9 Nineteenth-century photograph of the Hospitaller ruins in Jerusalem 45
10 Plan of the Hospitaller compound in Acre 52
11 Hospital compound in Acre 53
12 Excavations at the possible site of the Teutonic house in Acre 62
13 Map of the rural sites of the Military Orders in the Kingdom of Jerusalem 72
14 Site of the Hospitaller mill, Molendina desubter Mirabellum 75
15 Church at Fontenoid (Abu Ghosh) 76
16 Hospitaller building at Aqua Bella 78
17 Interior of Hospitaller building at Aqua Bella 79
18 Foundations of the Hospitaller mill of Recordana 83
19 The Templar mill of Doc 84
20 Templar courtyard complex at Somelaria 88
21 Plan of the mill and guest house below Montfort 90
22 Map of Templar castles in the Latin East 96
23 Map of Hospitaller castles in the Latin East 97
24 Map of Teutonic castles in the Latin East 98
25 Tower at Maldoim 102
26 Tower of Burj as-Sabî below Margat 104
27 Remains of the Templar tower of Le Destroit (Districtum) 109
28 Remains of the Teutonic tower at Tarphile near Montfort 110
29 Aerial photograph of Toron des Chevaliers (Latrun) 111
30 Castellum Arnaldi (Yalu) 114
31 Plan of Toron des Chevaliers 115
32 Plan of Bethgibelin 117
33 Plan of Castellum Regis (Mi(cid:1)iliya) 119
34 Eastern ward of Arima Castle seen from the south 120
35 Plan of Arima Castle 121
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