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A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers differ from masts by the absence of guy-wires and therefore, together with high-rise buildings, self-supporting structures.

Towers are particularly different from “buildings” in that they are not built for living, but for other functions. The main function is to use their height to perform various functions including: visibility of other tower-related functions such as clock towers; as part of a larger structure or device to increase the visibility of the surroundings for defensive purposes, for example, in a fortified building such as a castle; as a monitoring framework for entertainment purposes; or as a structure for telecommunication purposes. Towers can be free-standing structures or be supported by adjacent buildings, or can be a function of a large structure or building.

Old English torr comes from the Latin turris through Old French tor. The Latin term, together with the Greek τύρσις, was borrowed from the pre-Indo-European Mediterranean language and is associated with the Illyrian toponym υου-δοργίς. With the Lydian toponyms Τύρρα, Τύρσα it is associated with the ethnonym Τυρρήνιοι, as well as with Tusci (from * Turs-ci), the Greek and Latin names of the Etruscans (Kretschmer Glotta 22, 110ff.)

The towers have been used by mankind since prehistoric times. The oldest known may be the round stone tower within the walls of Neolithic Jericho (8000 BC). One of the earliest towers were the ziggurats, which existed in Sumerian architecture from the 4th millennium BC. The most famous ziggurats include the Sumerian ziggurat of Ur, built in the 3rd millennium BC, and the Etemenanki, one of the most famous examples of Babylonian architecture. The latter was built in Babylon in the second millennium BC and was considered the tallest tower in the ancient world.

Some of the earliest surviving examples are brooches in the north of Scotland, which are conical towers. These and other examples from Phoenician and Roman culture emphasize the use of the tower as a fortress and guardian. For example, the name of the Moroccan city of Mogador, founded in the first millennium BC, comes from the Phoenician word for watchtower (“migdol”). The Romans used octagonal towers as elements of Diocletian’s palace in Croatia, whose monument dates back to around 300 AD, Servian walls (4th century BC) and the Aurelian Walls (3rd century AD) featured square ones. The Chinese used the towers as integral elements of the Great Wall of China in 210 BC during the Qin dynasty. Towers were also an important elements of castles.

Other famous towers include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy, built from 1173 to 1372, and the Two Towers in Bologna, Italy, built from 1109 to 1119. The Himalayan Towers are stone towers located mainly in Tibet, built from about the 14-15th century.

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