In 850 BC a stone engraved what, from then on, became official…

The use of rainwater is an ancient process and there is a rock that proves it. Known as Moabite Stone or  Mesha Stele, it was found in the Middle East and dates back to 850 BC It contains the history of a revolt and the conquest of a city without water reservoirs.

After 40 years of offering allegiance to the King of Israel, paying him 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams with his wool, King Mesa of Moab revolted and triumphed. When he arrived in Qarhoh, he was faced with a serious problem of lack of water in the city, aggravated by the fact that there were no reservoirs. So Moab rebuilt Qarhoh, the wall of forests and the wall of the citadel. It also built its gates, its towers, the King’s House and its water reservoirs. Finally, the wise King ordered his people to build their own cistern in their homes, in order to reuse rainwater, giving to the population the possibility of having a good that is essential for life.

The most learned Mans were amazed when they finally were able to read the complete texts of the Moabite Stone and rank it as the most remarkable monolith ever discovered. King Mesa had erected that stone in honor of his god Chemosh to celebrate Mesa’s deliverance from Israel’s dominion.

On the monolith, Moab boasts of his victory over Israel, of building cities and even a road. Little did King Mesa know that, by recording this event in Moabite Stone, he was also writing the oldest record of the use of rainwater.