The Stratigraphic Sequence at Yalâ (Yemen): A Statistical Evaluation

Abstract

The South Arabian chronology has been problematic for a long time and this is also a true vexata quaestio for the ancient history of South Arabia. Three different chronologies have been suggested for the first literate phase of South Arabian cultures, which may date to the 11th century BC, the late 8th century BC, or the 5th century BC (see de Maigret 1996:157-63; de Maigret and Robin 1989: 276-8; Pirenne 1988; Robin 1997; Figure 1). At the site of Yal, potsherds with incised South Arabian inscriptions have been recovered in a stratum dating at least to the 8th century BC, if not earlier, and offer evidence of the existence of South Arabian culture at that time (de Maigret and Robin 1989:288-9).