Field-Studies in Southern Arabia

Abstract

A joint Soviet-Yemeni expedition began work in 1983 on a range of interdisciplinary studies aiming to fill systematically the lacunae in our knowledge of the history and culture of ancient Yemen. For 8 seasons the archaeological excavations were carried out on fixed sites: at the Palaeolithic cave al-Quza, at the city and necropolis of RaybŪn (11th-1st c. B.C.), at Qana', the ancient seaport of Hadramaut (1st-7th c. A.D.) and at the site of Hajrya on the island of Socotra (2nd-10th c. B.C.). Surveys of the Hadramaut allow us to date the establishment of irrigation and permanent agriculture in the region to the end of the 2nd mill. B.C., while excavations at RaybŪn show the development in the same period of a literate urban culture by a people who spoke a Hadramaut dialect and used the monumental S. Arabian script, provide evidence for the arrival in the region of the Sabaeans in the 8th-7th c. B.C. and allow the first reconstruction of the complete structure of an ancient Hadramaut temple complex. Excavations at Qana' shed light on the history and structure of ancient Yemeni trade, particularly in frankincense. Study by members of the expedition of many thousands of inscriptions and graffiti, on rock, stone, palm-grafts and pottery, and found throughout the area, provides evidence for the development of a literate culture and of handwriting styles, verify chronologies, allow the identification of sites, and reveal a wealth of information about the everyday life and religious practices of the ancient Yemenis.