Abstract:

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of stables and pens in settlements of the Urartian Kingdom period. Urartian royal inscriptions contain references to such structures; however, the interpretation of their functions, the translation, and the meaning of these words remain ambiguous. Considering that the subsistence economy in the landscape ruled over by this kingdom was mainly based on animal husbandry, evidence for stables/corrals and sheepfolds/pens in the archaeological record appears elusive. For this reason, this study first evaluates textual evidence and then moves on to reanalyze archaeological remains obtained from Urartian royal settlements and lower towns together with the results of ethnographic research conducted in the region, and it suggests new interpretations for the functions of relevant architectural remains at Urartian settlements to identify the structures that may have served as pens and stables.

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