In 1875 Victor Guérin found Yater to have 160 Metawileh inhabitants.Guerin, 1880, pp. 413-4 He further said that the ancient name of Yater must have been Yattir or Jether; "Two other rocky hills, situated, the first to the south, the second to the south-west of this village, served as cemeteries to the ancient city. All the stones with which it was built were taken from this place. Vast quarries, cisterns, presses, and tombs, have been cut in the sides and on the summits of these hills, which are separated by a narrow valley. The greater contained each nine loculi, grouped three to left, and at the end under a vaulted arcosolium. The facade of two among them is pierced by several small niches, some designed for simple lamps, others for statuettes. One of these caves seems to have been set aside for some sacred purpose."Guerin, 1880, pp. 413-4; in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 260
