In the chapter dealing with the immediate geographical surroundings of the large castrum of Caiphas, I referred to the existence of an isolated “domus” which was situated a few kilometers from the castrum itself. In the next two chapters I shall attempt to explain the function of such isolated estates and how it can be established whether they were built originally as centers of agricultural farms or as centers of larger estates.

Farm houses

In the very attempt to define the function of a site as a “manor house” or a “farm house” there are certain basic difficulties, as is the case with every functional definition. The economic, political, or military functions of an archeological site emanate from the conditions which prevailed during a certain period. Every change in conditions results in a change in the functions. Thus, a building which in certain circumstances served as a fortress could also serve as the center of an agricultural estate or a monastery, and a change in the political, social, or economic conditions could cause a monastery or manor house to be used as a fortress, a prison, or a center of an agricultural estate. The Cistercian houses scattered throughout Europe can serve as an example of this multiple function. Some of these establishments were converted, during the thirteenth century, into large settlements and even into bastides.

The only definition on which one can, for the most part, safely rely is the typological one.