19 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The easternmost Roman aqueduct in Armenia was discovered

Archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia have discovered remains of a Roman arched aqueduct during excavation work on the Hellenistic royal city of Artashat-Artaxata in ancient Armenia.

It is the easternmost arched aqueduct in the Roman Empire. An evaluation of the find has been published in the Archäologischer Anzeiger journal.

The excavation uncovered the monumental foundations of an incomplete aqueduct bridge erected by the Roman troops between AD 114 and AD 117 at Artashat-Artaxata.

During this period, the Roman Empire was largely ruled by Emperor Trajan, who was known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing welfare policies, earning him an enduring reputation as the second of the five good emperors.

According to author Prof. Achim Lichtenberger from the Institute of Classical Archaeology and Christian Archaeology at the University of Münster. “At that time, Artaxata was destined to become the capital of a Roman province in Armenia.”

“The aqueduct remained unfinished because of Trajan’s death in AD 117 and because his successor Hadrian relinquished the province of Armenia.”

In the background of the excavation area is the hillock in Artaxata on which is located the Khor Virap monastery, with Mount Ararat behind it. Photo: Artaxata project
In the background of the excavation area is the hillock in Artaxata on which is located the Khor Virap monastery, with Mount Ararat behind it. Photo: Artaxata project

During their excavation effort, the team employed an interdisciplinary approach that included methodologies from archaeology, geophysics, geochemistry, and archaeoinformatics.

Geomagnetically, the area around the Hellenistic metropolis of Artaxata in the Ararat Plain was first investigated. At this stage of their work, the experts surveyed and charted any anomalies. The geomagnetic picture revealed a prominent dotted line, which they examined using sondages. The archaeologists detailed the findings in three dimensions. Additional drillings provided evidence of further unfinished or destroyed pillars of the aqueduct.

“We used satellite pictures and infrared images from a drone to visualize the course of the aqueduct’s pillars. We reconstructed the planned course of the aqueduct by means of a computer-assisted path analysis between the possible sources of the water and its destination.  A scientific analysis of the lime mortar used showed that it was a typical Roman recipe,”  said co-author Dr. Mkrtich Zardaryan from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.

Since 2018, a group of German and Armenian scientists led by Achim Lichtenberger (Münster University), Mkrtich Zardaryan (Armenian Academy of Sciences), and Torben Schreiber (Münster University) has been conducting research on the Hellenistic city of Artaxata on Armenia’s Ararat Plain.

University of Münster

Cover Photo: The excavation section shows a pillar of the unfinished aqueduct – Photo: Artaxata project

Related Articles

The ruins found in Nara could be the Imperial House of Female Emperor Koken

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest building remains ever found at the former site of the Heijokyu palace in the...

New Study Disproves Roman Massacre at Maiden Castle, Revealing Complex Iron Age Conflicts

30 May 2025

30 May 2025

Bournemouth University Archaeologists Challenge 90-Year-Old Roman Conquest Narrative at Maiden Castle with Fresh Forensic and Radiocarbon Analysis A landmark study...

60 Elongated Structures of Unknown Function and Neolithic Silos Discovered in France

12 October 2024

12 October 2024

The Pfulgriesheim site, located in northeastern France’s Alsace region, underwent extensive archaeological research before being developed as a new urban...

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon brooches in seven graves during an excavation in Gloucestershire

5 April 2022

5 April 2022

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon saucer brooches, one pair in each of seven burials unearthed in an excavation...

Do Byzantine coins Record the Supernova of 1054?

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

SN 1054 was one of the most spectacular astronomical events of all time. The supernova explosion eventually formed what is...

A massive Rune stone found under a kitchen floor in Denmark declared treasure

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A couple in Denmark discovered a massive rune stone weighing approximately 900 kilograms during a home renovation project that planned...

A 3300-Year-Old Canaanite Shipwreck Ever Discovered with All Its Cargo off Israel’s Coast

21 June 2024

21 June 2024

An Energean natural gas surveying vessel operating about 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the coast of Israel discovered a ship...

Astonishing discovery in Kazakhstan: Bronze Age girl buried with more than 150 animal ankle bones

7 September 2023

7 September 2023

Archaeologists in eastern Kazakhstan have unearthed a Bronze Age burial mound of a girl surrounded by various grave goods in...

Unique Iron & Viking-Age Mortuary Houses Found in Norway

28 August 2024

28 August 2024

While building a road in the village of Vinjeøra in central Norway, three ancient mortuary houses dating back to the...

2,000-year-old graves found in ancient necropolis beneath Paris Train Station

24 April 2023

24 April 2023

Archaeologists have discovered 50 tombs in an ancient necropolis just meters from a busy train station in central Paris, and...

Turkey’s Urartian Altıntepe Castle transforms into open museum

25 May 2022

25 May 2022

Altıntepe Castle, one of the most important centers of the Urartians and the Eastern Roman Empire, is now set to...

Italian Versailles being returned to its former glory through

17 May 2023

17 May 2023

The Italian Royal Palace of Caserta, a long-neglected near Naples, is being restored to its former glory through a vast...

First Female Viking Grave Discovered In Swedish Mountains

21 August 2022

21 August 2022

A mountain hiker in Jämtland, in central Sweden, on his way camping in Kalffällen, made a surprising discovery. The discovery...

Saudi Archaeologists have discovered a pre-Islamic Musnad inscription and a bronze bullhead

18 February 2023

18 February 2023

Saudi archaeologists have discovered the longest pre-Islamic Musnad inscription -of the ancient south Arabian script- and three gold rings and...

The bronze age village Afragola buried by the Plinian eruption of mount Vesuvius 4,000 Years Ago

30 September 2022

30 September 2022

Mount Vesuvius’ Plinian eruption about 4,000 years ago—2,000 years before it buried the Roman city of Pompeii—left remarkable preservation of...