It was not possible for the individuals standing on towers of WF1415 to view the entire landscape, and in turn for the towers to be viewed from everywhere. There were places in the landscape that were blind spots or had limited views. But no surveillance system is perfect; guards on the towers would not always be attentive, convicts could be blind (Eusebius suggests that this might be a possibility MP 13.1). However, the creation of a panoptic system does not require constant attendance, merely consistent application. It is the psychological effect of being unsure whether one is viewed or not that makes discipline by observation effective. Moreover, with the entrances and exits to the wadi covered there was little place for convicts or miners to go. Within the Qalb the most frequented places such as domestic housing would be covered. Gatherings of miners in other places would not be unnoticed, especially if large numbers were moving to and away from a blind spot. Finally, the chances are very low that a convict or miner would be allowed to climb the towers and find out for themselves where these blind spots were. The convicts may have believed in a total view, even if it did not exist in reality.
This surveillance system has one large breach, the mountains; if an individual truly wished they could climb out, but Eusebius describes the maiming of convicts by cutting their Achilles tendons. Infirmity and the poor health experienced by miners due to metal poisoning and toxic fumes (see section 5.html) would make it very difficult to escape on these steep slopes. Plus, one would be travelling away from known supplies of water and food. While it is possible escape was attempted, it is not likely to have been successful; the mountains were part of the boundaries in the landscape.
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URL: http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue27/4/6.1.html
Last updated: Tue Nov 3 2009