The TV carried a travel feature on Georgia (the country). In ancient mountain villages every house has its own high stone tower. No one remembers exactly why these were built. One theory is that the towers would protect the villagers from the danger of avalanches. But it seems unlikely that every village was equally subject to that danger. A more likely theory is that the towers were built due to the popular (and surviving) custom of vendetta.
After dark, each family would place a wooden ladder against the wall of their tower, climb the three meters to its single portal, then haul the ladder in after them. That way they could be assured of a sound night’s sleep, confident that their neighbors wouldn’t murder them while they slumbered.
What a distance we’ve traveled since those dark days! We no longer need stone towers to protect us from our fellow men. The technology has significantly improved.