Clues for Minaean history. A chronological reassessment in light of new epigraphic and archaeological data from Barāqish (5th and 4th centuries BC)

Abstract

A considerable amount of new data, both archaeological and epigraphic, were discovered during the Italian excavations at the site of Barāqish (ancient Minaean Yathil). The present paper discusses the most relevant additions to our knowledge base as a result of those excavations, particularly in relation to the succession of kings in Maʿīn during the 5 th and 4 th centuries BC. At this time, the kingdom arrived at its apogee under the reigns of Abīyadaʿ Yathaʿ and his son, Waqihʾil Riyām. The findings rely on new radiometric analyses and fresh epigraphic documents, concerning sectors of the temple Qabḍum and the area external to the southern urban walls. Improvements are made to the relative sequencing and absolute dating of kings, with the support of recent methodological contributions to the scholarly literature.