The walled town of Baraqish in interior Yemen - ancient Yathill of
the Sabaeans and Minaeans - was for Alessandro de Maigret
(1943-2011) 'one of the archaeological marvels not just of Yemen,
but of the entire Near East'. Established as an oasis settlement in
the semi-desert depression of the Jawf, it became in the 1st
millennium BCE a thriving caravan station on the 'incense' route
and a famed place of worship, controlled by rich rulers and
merchants. Topography and trade made it a crucible of South Arabian
and foreign traditions, and on several occasions, it was a border
town disputed between rival powers. A sustained archaeological
effort to investigate the site and area began in 1986 by the
Italian Archaeological Mission, led by de Maigret, and developed in
two phases. In 1989-1992 the temple of the patron god was
excavated, while between 2003-2007 a range of new excavations were
undertaken, including a second temple, a sounding, a dissection of
the tell's edge outside the Minaean wall, and a cemetery. Presented
across two volumes, Volume 1: Excavations of Temple B and related
research and restoration is particularly devoted to the temple of
god 'Athtar dhu-Qabd (Temple B), dated to the second half of the
1st millennium BCE. Six chapters fully illustrate its excavation,
architecture, restoration, findings, inscriptions, and dating. The
contribution of this work and monument to regional history
transcends its local significance. The report is framed by ten
chapters detailing the historiography of research on Baraqish, the
initial surveys carried out in 1986-1987, the architecture and
restoration of Temple A together with the extramural excavation at
the adjacent curtain wall, the cultic equipment, and radiocarbon
datings. The nine contributors are leading scholars in the above
fields and include recognized experts in South Arabian archaeology.
The core of Volume 2: Extramural excavations in Area C and overview
studies is a final report on Area C, an exploratory dissection
through the western edge of the Baraqish mound outside the curtain
wall, and a unique operation for Yemen until now. Eight chapters
detail the excavation, stratigraphy, and geoarchaeology (from about
800 BCE to the present), in addition to radiocarbon chronology,
cultural finds, animal and plant remains, economy, major historical
events, and unique evidence for trade. Four further chapters offer
a glimpse of settlement archaeology for Sabaean Yathill and the
survey of a religious centre to the west, together with a first
typology of Minaean pottery and an epigraphic and
political-historical overview for Baraqish and the Jawf. The
contributors are recognized experts in South Arabian archaeology.
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