ABSTRACT
The castle of Toron in southern Lebanon was of particular importance at the time of the crusades. It is situated about 18 kilometres south-east of Tyre in the mountains of the Jabal ‘Āmil range, which geographically belongs to Upper Galilee. It crowns a steep hill – a tell – at a height of 725 metres overlooking the village of Tibnīn. After its rebuilding in the eighteenth century, its current appearance is that of a typical Ottoman castle of the region (see Plate 1). Analysis of the pottery found at several spots in stratified deposits suggests an occupation of the site from Late Bronze Age to the end of the Ottoman period. Although occasionally described by some nineteenth-century travellers, it was never explored or surveyed. Investigation of the site started in 2000 and was continued in a second campaign in 2003. 1
