Evidence of Water Use in Epigraphic Inscriptions of Aragatsotn

 The rich epigraphic heritage of the Aragatsotn region includes more than one and a half dozen inscriptions related to the use of water, which are dated from 783 to 1707. Those inscriptions were divided by us into two groups. In the first one we included the inscriptions that tell about construction of water pipelines, ditches, their restoration, as well as building of a reservoir and a mill. The second group includes inscriptions attesting to the regulations of water use.

The Aruch inscription of 867 is of exceptional value. It attests on a clash between three neighboring villages - Avan, Aruch and Gavarn - over the use of water. These villages were in the possession of the Armenian commander-in-chief, later king Smbat I Bagratuni (890–914). The conflict was fairly settled by Grigor Varamyan, the official of Smbat Bagratuni, according to the previously officially defined norms. The inscription ends with a sentence that is not found in the epigraphic sources known to us: violators will be executed by Smbat.