Ancient Lothal
The ancient Indus port of Lothal as envisaged by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Dockyard at Lothal in summer
The dominant sight at Lothal is the massive dockyard which has helped make this place so
important to international archaeology. Spanning an area 37 meters from east to west and
nearly 22 meters from north to south, the dock is said by some to be the greatest work of
maritime architecture before the birth of Christ. To be sure, not all archaeologists are convinced
that the structure was used as a dockyard and some prefer to refer to it as a large tank that may
have been a reservoir.
It was excavated besides the river Sabarmati, which has since changed course. The structure's
design shows a thorough study of tides, hydraulics and the effect of sea water on bricks. Ships
could have entered into the northern end of the dock through an inlet channel connected to an
estuary of the Sabramati during high tide. The lock gates could then have been closed so the
water level would rise sufficiently for them to float.
Dockyard at Lothal after the rains
An inlet channel 1.7 meters above the bottom level of the 4.26 meter deep tank allowed excess water to
escape. Other inlets prevented siltation of the tanks and erosion of the banks. After a ship would have
unloaded its cargo, the gates would have opened and allowed it to return to the Arabian sea waters in the
Gulf of Combay.
Archaeological finds from the excavations testify to trade with ancient Egypt and Mespotamia. The
hydraulic knowledge of the ancient Harappans can be judged by the fact that boats could dock at Lothal in
the 1850's. In 1942 timber was brought from Baruch to nearby Sagarwala. It is said that then the dockyard
could hold 30 ships of 60 tons each or 60 ships of 30 tons each. This would be comparable to the modern
docks at Vishakapatnam.
Warehouse at Lothal
A long wharf connected the dockyard to the main warehouse, which was located on a plinth some 3.5
meters above the ground. The first concern of the Harappan engineers might have been to ensure against
floods and tides (which may have been their undoing at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa).
The whole town was situated on a patch of high ground. Rising from the flat alluvial plains of Bhal a wall
was erected to encircle the town, and a platform was built where goods were checked and stored. The
warehouse was divided into 64 rooms of around 3.5 square meters each, connected by 1.2 meter wide
passages. Twelve of these cubical blocks are visible today.
Seals were used to label imports and exports passing through the dock. Some of these labels or tags have
been found during excavations. Kiln fired bricks, which the Harappans had learned were unaffected by tidal
waters, were used in making the passages to protect the cargo.
The acropolis, Lothal
Near the warehouse, also on a high plinth, is the upper town or acropolis which spans 128 by 61 meters
and has extensive drainage systems.
Kitchen of upper town with pot furnace in Lothal
Kitchen of upper town with pot furnace.
Lothal Pot Furnace
Pot Furnace
Cooking blocks in an upper town kitchen Lothal
The rooms of the upper town were obviously built for upper classes. They had private pathed brick baths
and a remarkable network of drains and cesspools.
Row of private baths in Lothal
The proximity of the seat of power to the warehouse may have ensured that the ruler and his entourage
could inspect stocks easily. An ivory workshop in the acropolis suggests that elephants may have been
domesticated to produce the raw material.
Lothal Drainage system
An elaborate sanitary and drainage system, a hallmark of ancient Indus cities, is in evidence everywhere at
Lothal.
Well in Lothal 11
Kitchens and wells were spread across the upper town.
Lower town of Lothal
From the plinth of the acropolis, it is a short distance to the lower town. The lower town contains a
commercial and residential area. The arterial streets running from north to south were flanked by shops,
merchant dwellings and artisan's workshops. Streets running from east to west led to the residential areas
with lanes allowing access to individual dwellings.
Lower town of Lothal
The bead factories, situated where the 8th street of the commercial area and the 5th street of the
residential area meet, comprised the main industry of the Harappans. They probably settled (or their
culture came) to the Gulf of Cambay region because of its agate and precious stone resources.
The factory comprised 11 rooms, which included worker's quarters, warheouses and guard rooms,
surrounding a courtyard. The main bead making machine was a twisted chambered kiln, made from mud
plastered bricks, which was used for heating the stones used to make beads. Bellows helped raise the
temperatures within.
Lothal was especially famous for its micro-beads. These were made by grinding materials, rolling them on
to a string, baking it solid. Finally the baked roll was sawed into required shapes and sizes.
Unique necklaces were made with microbeads of gold. Some were as little as 0.25mm in diameter. They
are testimony to the science of beadmaking perfected by the Indus Valley civilization, and has not been
surpassed by artisans in the Gulf of Cambay today.
The middle classes who could not afford gold contented themselves with gilded copper wires. Low income
groups must have worn ornaments from shells and clay. Coppersmithing and pottery reached high
standards of development in the lower town.
Lothal: Sanitary drainage at the acropolis 15
The most unique aspect of planning during the Indus Valley civilization was the system of underground
drainage. The main sewer, 1.5 meters deep and 91 cm across, connected to many north-south and east-
west sewers. It was made from bricks smoothened and joined together seamlessly. The expert masonry
kept the sewer watertight. Drops at regular intervals acted like an automatic cleaning device.
A wooden screen at the end of the drains held back solid wastes. Liquids entered a cess poll made of radial
bricks. Tunnels carried the waste liquids to the main channel connecting the dockyard with the river
estuary. Commoner houses had baths and drains that emptied into underground soakage jars.
reference: [Link]
