Excavations of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Yemen: a Minaean necropolis at Barāqish (Wādī Jawf) and the Qatabanian necropolis of Ḥayd bin ‘Aqīl (Wādī Bayḥān).

During two archaeological campaigns at Barāqish/Yathill, a number of pit graves has been excavated in a necropolis located approximately 200 meters west of the city walls. This is the first time that Minaean graves have been investigated, offering a unique opportunity to study Minaean funeral customs. Further, a significant number of stereotype inscribed stelae was discovered in situ and the study of the iconography and onomastics has provided interesting information regarding the origin of the people who habitually visited the region between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. The rather modest crafting and typology of the pit graves, very different from the tombs of the other large caravan cities such as Tamna', show that Yathill was populated also by a nomadic community, residing seasonally outside the city walls. The graves we investigated presumably belong to this community. The necropolis of Tamna' is situated about 2 km north of the city, on the western side of the hill named Hayd bin 'Aqīl. The tombs were investigated in two excavation campaigns at the foot of the hill and on the hillside, and are contemporary of those of Barāqish. The funerary monuments are multiple-roomed family tombs, and numerous inscribed stelae suggest that it was largely Qatabanians residing in Tamna' who were buried in the cemetery.