Watchtower

A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, soldiers and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such as religious pagodas, may also be used as watchtowers.

An example of nonmilitary watchtower in history is the one of Jerusalem. Though the Hebrews used it to keep a watch for approaching armies, the religious authorities forbade the taking of weapons up into the tower as this would require bringing weapons through the temple. Rebuilt by King Herod, that watchtower was renamed after Mark Antony, his friend who battled against Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later Augustus) and lost.

History

The Romans built numerous towers as part of a system of communications, one example being the towers along Hadrian's Wall in Britain. Each tower was in sight of the next in the line, and a simple system of semaphore signalling was used between them. They also built many lighthouses, such as the Tower of Hercules in northern Spain, which survives to this day as a working building, and the equally famous lighthouse at Dover Castle, which survives to about half its original height as a ruin. In medieval Europe, many castles and manor houses, or similar fortified buildings, were equipped with watchtowers. In some of the manor houses of western France, the watchtower equipped with arrow or gun loopholes was one of the principal means of defense. A feudal lord could keep watch over his domain from the top of his tower.

Watchtower (band)

WatchTower is an American progressive metal band based in Austin, Texas. The band was influenced by late 1970s progressive rock and acts such as Rush and UK, as well as the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While Watchtower never reached mainstream access, they have been cited as an influence by many other progressive metal bands, such as Dream Theater, Death, Atheist, Sieges Even and Spiral Architect.

History

Initial career (1982–1989)

WatchTower was formed in May 1982 in Austin, Texas. The quartet made its recording debut in 1983 with an early version of the song "Meltdown", which was included on the Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death - A Texas Hardcore Compilation LP. It was followed by the debut album, Energetic Disassembly, issued in 1985 on the band's own DIY label, Zombo Records. An earlier version of the album was scrapped after the group's label, Rainforest Records, closed its doors. Energetic Disassembly is notable for its heavy use of time changes and is considered to be a landmark in progressive metal.

Watchtower (disambiguation)

A watchtower is a type of fortification.

Watchtower may also refer to:

Buildings and structures

Religion

Military

Guadalcanal Campaign, codenamed Operation Watchtower, a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943

Fiction and comics

Eldritch

Eldritch is an Old English derived word used to describe that which is otherworldly, often by being weird, ghostly, or uncanny. The Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue also associates the word with elven things, but that connection has been shown to be a misuse or appropriation. The word was often used in Scottish poetry and literature from the 1600s. In the 1900s, the word became more widely used in English after gaining popularity in books by H. P. Lovecraft and C. S. Lewis.

References

Eldritch (video game)

Eldritch is a 2013 first person shooter video game developed by David Pittman and published by Minor Key Games. It was inspired by the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and gameplay elements of roguelike games. The expansion Eldritch: Mountains of Madness was released in December 2013. The game's source code was released in 2014, though the content itself remains proprietary.Metacritic rated the game 77/100, and GameRankings rated it 75.27%.

Gameplay

Players take the role of a 1920s-era investigator in a Cthulhu Mythos-inspired storyline. Players can wield both pistols and spells. The world is procedurally generated, which means that it is different every time the game is played. The game features a form of permanent death in which all items are lost upon death. Money that has been stored in the bank is retained. After the player wins the game, a new difficulty mode is unlocked, "New Game Plus". Enemies become stronger, helpful items become rarer, and gameplay shifts to a more stealth game-inspired mechanic.

Eldritch (disambiguation)

Eldritch may refer to: