Lothal – History and Archaeology

1. Location and Background

• Situated near Gulf of Khambhat, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat.

• Part of the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) (c. 2400–1900 BCE).

• Before Harappan arrival (c. 3000 BCE):

  • Prosperous indigenous settlement producing copper objects, beads, semi-precious stones.

  • Introduced Black-and-Red Ware pottery.

• Attracted Harappans for its sheltered harbour, fertile cotton–rice region, and bead industry.

• Evidence of flourishing westward trade (Mesopotamia, Oman, Bahrain).

2. Town Planning and Architecture

• Planned township after floods (~2350 BCE).

• Divided into:

  • Acropolis (Citadel): residences of rulers, paved baths, underground drains, warehouse, potable well.

  • Lower Town: commercial and residential areas, workshops, marketplaces.

• Buildings made of fire-burnt bricks, lime, and sand mortar (still intact after 4000 years).

• Drainage: underground drains, soakage jars, sump pits for solid waste.

3. Economy and Urban Culture

• Highly disciplined civic administration: regulated street widths, waste management, no encroachments.

• Major industries:

  • Bead-making and gems (exported widely).

  • Shell-working, ivory workshops, metallurgy (cire perdue casting, tin-bronze alloys).

  • Stone blade industry (chert from Larkana, chalcedony locally).

• Exports: beads, gemstones, ivory, shells.

• Imports: copper, chert, semi-precious stones.

• International trade links: Mesopotamia, Bahrain, Egypt, Sumer.

• Evidence: Persian Gulf seals, terracotta boat models.

4. Dockyard

• World’s earliest known dockyard (rectangular trapezoidal basin).

• Dimensions: ~215 m × 35 m, inlet & sluice gate for regulating water.

• Connected to river via canal (~2 km long).

• Supported a 220 m long wharf with direct ramp to warehouse.

• Significance: Showed Harappan mastery in hydraulic engineering, tidal studies, and maritime trade.

• Debate: Some archaeologists argue it was an irrigation tank; however, marine fossils and shells suggest sea-use.

5. Science, Technology, and Engineering

• Weights & Measures: Standardized, including an ivory scale with smallest decimal divisions in IVC.

• Instruments: Shell compass-like object (for angles/navigation).

• Drainage: kiln-fired brick platforms, inspection chambers, silting pits.

• Brick ratios: 1:0.5:0.25, showing advanced engineering.

6. Religion and Beliefs

• Worshipped fire god (fire-altars discovered).

• Evidence of animal worship and possibly sea goddess (linked to present-day worship of Sikotarimata).

• Practised cremation (few burials found).

• Religious practices suggest overlap with early Vedic elements (e.g., Gavamayana-like sacrifice).

7. Art and Culture

• Seal-cutting: 213 seals (bulls, tigers, composite animals, inscriptions).

• Bead industry: advanced techniques still used in Khambhat today.

• Pottery: Convex bowls, flaring jars, Red Ware.

• Paintings: realistic depictions of animals, birds, stories resembling Panchatantra fables.

• Terracotta models: gamesmen, toys, figurines, male busts.

• Jewellery: gold micro-beads (<0.25 mm), copper rings, faience ornaments.

8. Agriculture and Diet

• Rice cultivation (earliest evidence in South Asia).

• Other crops: ragi, jowar, lentils.

• Animal bones: both domesticated and wild, indicating diverse diet.

9. Decline

• Repeated floods & storms (~2000–1900 BCE).

• River course shifted → dock cut off.

• Poor repairs, weak administration, reduced trade.

• Soil salinity → decline in agriculture.

• By 1900 BCE, massive flood destroyed township.

• Late Harappan phase: smaller population, poor houses, reduced literacy, revival of some trade (1700–1600 BCE).

10. Archaeological Significance

• Provides crucial evidence of:

  • Maritime trade & dockyard engineering.

  • Urban planning & drainage system.

  • Technological innovation (weights, metallurgy, bead-making).

  • Cultural continuity into late Harappan phase.

• Excavations led by S.R. Rao (1950s–60s, ASI).

• Present condition: threatened by salinity, siltation, erosion, requiring preservation.