The Reservoirs of the Medieval Fortresses of Berd Region

According to the study of preserved monuments, written sources and scientific literature, five medieval fortresses are known in the Berd region: Tavush, Nor-Berd, Matznaberd, Yergevank and Katsaret. As important points of defence system, they are always mentioned in the sources almost together and in connection with the same historical events. The exact date of the foundation of the fortresses is not known, but according to the medieval sources and archaeological materials, they date back to the 10^th-13^th centuries, were heavily damaged during the Mongol invasions, and then gradually abandoned. The article is dedicated to the preliminary research of the reservoirs documented in the aforementioned fortresses, their commonalities and features with similar structures, as well as the consideration of a number of related issues. The study is based on the results of the excavations in the Tavush fortress and also the results of our fieldworks carried out in other mentioned fortresses.