On the Water System of Erebuni Fortress

Urartu (Biaina, Kingdom of Ararat, Kingdom of Van) is considered to have had one of the most developed irrigation systems among powers in the Ancient Near East. Many cuneiform inscriptions left by the monarchs of the Ararat Kingdom mention the construction of canals, artificial lakes, cisterns etc. To date, important investigations have been carried out in the study of Urartian canals, artificial lakes, and dams. However, there is a lack of research on the water systems (supply or sewage) in the Urartian fortresses themselves. In this context, the excavations carried out in the Altıntepe Urartian fortress near the city of Yerznka in Historical Armenia provide relevant data. A very similar “aqueduct’’ system was also unearthed in Erebuni fortress, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. The discovery of fixed water systems in Altıntepe and Erebuni allows us to assert the presence of a highly developed water supply or sewage system in Urartu. Apparently, such “water canals” were built after the planning of the fortresses in the preliminary phase and were mainly underground. It is possible that the “water canals” had a drainage or sewage function. However, it should not be excluded that at least a part of them was used for water supply. In our opinion, the provision of a water supply to Urartian fortresses built on high hills could be implemented using highly developed engineering knowledge and systems, such as, for example, the qanat system. It is interesting that the traditions and use of those Urartian systems continued also in the Middle Ages of Armenia.