Seasonal offerings among the Minaeans: The case of ancient Yathil

Abstract

The hypostyle hall of the Minaean temple Qabḍum in Barāqish (ancient Yathil), dedicated to ʿAthtar dhu-Qabḍ, is characterised by the presence of four long offertory tables that were discovered in situ in an overall good condition. This article presents an analysis of these objects together with their epigraphic material with the aim of better understanding the rituals that may have been connected to them. The topic is also analysed within the complex history of the sacral area of Yathil, as organised and used by the Minaeans, while also taking into account the later and brief intrusion of the Amīr tribe in the pre-Islamic site. A comparison with the similar hypostyle hall that was uncovered in the nearby temple of Nakraḥ is also offered, as regards the position and organization of the cultic furniture. The presence of differently arranged cenacles in the South Arabian sacral architecture, which may have been associated with a variety of ceremonies, is also briefly discussed. The use of offertory tables according to a liturgic calendar is finally addressed with the study of a new inscription from the same temple of ʿAthtar dhu-Qabḍ (Y.05.B.B.14).