Lothal

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Lothal was one of the most prominent cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. It is India's most important site from the viewpoint of archaeology. Archeologists estimate that the site is about 4,400 years old – dating to 2400 BC. It is in the modern state of Gujarat, India. Lothal (E 72 14' 58" & N 22 31' 17") is situated near the village of Saragwala in the Dholka taluka of Ahmedabad district. It is at a distance of 6 km (south-east) from the Lothal-Bhurkhi railway station on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar railway line. A road connects the place to the cities of Ahmedabad (85 km), Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Dholka. Nearest cities are Dholka and Bagodara.

Lothal was a thriving center of ancient time. It manufactured beads, gemstones, ornaments, and some other items. The people of Lothal exported these items to West Asia and Africa. Some of the items they also traded locally. Archeologists discovered Lothal in 1954. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavations on 13th February 1955. This continued till 19th May 1960. They discovered a major part of the township with a dockyard. The archeologists resumed excavations in 1961. Archeologists also discovered inlet channels connecting the dock with the river. The findings consist of a mound, a township, a marketplace and the dock. ASI has also built an Archaeological Museum near the site. The museum has some of the most prominent collections of items of that period (Indus Valley Civilization) in modern India.

The culture of Lothal was an advanced culture of its time. Some of the achievements of people of Lothal include:

  • Building the world's earliest dock.
  • The earliest-known portrayals of Realism in arts, which tell some of the most well known fables of today.
  • An instrument like a compass possibly to study stars and used in navigation.
  • Some techniques and tools for bead making and in metallurgy very similar to ones even used today after 4000 years.

Contents

[edit] Archaeology

Lothal is in the Indian state of Gujarat. Gujarati language is the local language of Gujarat. The meaning of Lothal in Gujarati language is the "the mound of the dead". Mohenjodaro, another site of Indus Valley Civilization, has the same meaning in Sindhi language. Mohenjodaro is in Sindh, now a part of Pakistan. In Sindh, people speak Sindhi language. People in villages neighboring to Lothal had known of the presence of an ancient pre-historic town and human remains. Between 1954 and 1958, ASI excavated many other sites across Gujarat. This extended the limits of Harappan civilization by 500 km to the river Kim, where the Bhagatrav site accesses the valley of the rivers Narmada and Tapti. Lothal is about 270 km from Mohenjodaro, which is in Sindh (now in Pakistan). Many archeologists are of the opinion that Lothal was a part of a major river system on the trade route of the ancient peoples from Sindh to Saurashtra in Gujarat. Cemeteries have been found which indicate that its people were probably Dravids, Proto-Australoid or Mediterranean physiques.

Excavations at Lothal had yielded the largest collection of ancient items in the archaeology of modern India.

Even after decline of the Indus Valley Civilization in Mohenjodaro and Harappa, Lothal continued to thrive for many years. However, the place always faced many types of natural threats like floods and storms. These harmed the culture and economy of Lothal. Scientists have found that many changes also occurred in the climate. These forced the people to leave Lothal, and it lost its importance and its culture declined.

[edit] History

Lothal was a small village. It provided access to the mainland from the gulf of Khambhat. Archeological finds include copper objects, beads, semi-precious stones, and other valuable things. These items indicate that people were prosperous. By 2400 BC, Harappan peoples reached Lothal. They liked the harbor, rich cotton and rice growing farms, and the bead making industry. Many Harappan people settled there.

Over a period of time, the people of Lothal improved a new technique of making pottery. The beads, gems and other products of Lothal were in great demand in nearby countries.

[edit] The town

Around 2350 BC, a big flood destroyed village foundations and settlements. Thereafter, Harappan people (living in Lothal and nearby Sindh) built a new township. They modeled the township on the bigger cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. They built Lothal in a way to protect it from regular floods. They made 1-2-metre-high platforms of sun-dried bricks. Each platform served 20–30 houses of thick mud and brick walls. The city had two parts: a citadel or acropolis, and a lower town. The rulers of the town lived in the acropolis. The acropolis had paved baths, underground and surface drains (built of kiln-fired bricks) and a potable water well. The lower town had two sectors. The north-south street was the main commercial area. It had shops on both sides. The residential area was located to either side of the marketplace. The lower town was also periodically enlarged during Lothal's years of prosperity.

People of Lothal gave high priority to the creation of a dockyard and a warehouse to serve the purposes of naval trade. Most of the archaeologists agree that the structure was a "dockyard." However, some scholars have suggested that this may be part of an irrigation tank and canal. The dock was on the eastern side of Lothal. The warehouse was near the acropolis on a 3.5-metre-high platform of mud bricks. This made possible for the rulers to supervise the activity on the dock and warehouse at the same time. There was also an important public building opposite to the warehouse. Now there is no trace of this building.

Lothal always faced floods and storms. People tried to upkeep the construction in good order, but still failed to maintain the same. A flood in 2050 BC exposed many weaknesses in the structures. But, people did not take all steps to strengthen the structures.

[edit] The life

Lothal had an organized town planning and management. For example, the streets were of same width. This width remained same for a very long period of time. People kept the streets free of any constructions. Every household used a collection chamber to deposit solid waste to prevent clogging of the drainage system. There was a system of drains, which kept the city very clean and deposited the waste in the river. During high tide the waste used to get washed out.

At Lothal, a new style of Harappan art and painting emerged. It portrayed animals in their natural surroundings. These paintings also portrayed stories and folklores. Metalware, gold and jewellery and ornaments also indicate good culture and prosperity of the people.

Most of the equipments and other tools, weights, measures, seals, earthenware and ornaments were of the uniform standard and quality.

Lothal was a major trade center. People imported large quantity of materials like copper, and semi-precious stones from Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. They distributed them to inner villages and other towns. People of Lothal produced large quantities of bronze tools, fishhooks, chisels, spears and ornaments. Lothal exported its beads, gemstones, ivory and shells. The stone blade industry catered to domestic needs. An intensive trade network gave the inhabitants great prosperity. They had trade links with people of Ancient Egypt, Bahrain and Sumeria.

[edit] The decline

Evidences collected by the ASI indicate that natural actions like floods and storms caused the decline of Lothal. Perhaps floodwaters covered the entire town of Lothal. This damaged the houses. By around 2000-1900 BC, there was no big building standing in Lothal. The course of the river also changed. This cut off the way to reach the dockyard. The rulers have left the place. Only common people and small merchants lived in small huts. They tried to continue their activities. However, they could not repair the damaged warehouse. They had to store stocks of goods under wooden shelters. The fire and floods harmed the goods. Business continued to decline. At the same time floods and storms harmed the people and the place. With salty water coming to farms, the land became unfit for agriculture. Archeological analysis shows that silt and debris filled in the basin and dock. Buildings fell to the ground. The flood affected the entire region of Saurashtra, Sindh and south Gujarat, and affected the upper reaches of the Indus river and Sutlej, where scores of villages and townships were washed away. The population fled to inner regions.

[edit] Later culture

Archaeological evidence shows that even after the natural disaster, some people still lived in Lothal. But, the population remained small and culture no longer remained urban. The new settlers could not reconstruct and repair the city. These people lived in badly built houses and huts. They were the Harappan people as proved by analyses of their burial remains. They wrote more or less in Harappan style. They made pottery and utensils similar to Harappan people.

ASI archeologists record movement of a large number of people from regions of Punjab and Sindh to Saurashtra (in modern day Gujarat). This happened around 1900-1700 BC. These people lived in hundreds of places in small villages. The culture was not very advanced and people were mostly poor. Between 1700 – 1600 BC, trade revived and some prosperity came back.

[edit] Civilization

The people of Lothal made significant and unique contributions to human civilization, in the fields of city planning, art, architecture, science, engineering and religion. Their work in metallurgy, seals, beads and jewellery was the basis of their prosperity.

[edit] Science

Archeologists have found an instrument like a compass. Its construction indicates its use to measure angles on plane surfaces or in the horizon in multiples of 40 degrees, up to 360 degrees. Perhaps the people of Lothal used the instrument to measure 12 whole sections of the horizon and sky. Archaeologists consider this as evidence that the Lothal experts had achieved something 2,000 years before the Greeks. This achievement was making a 12-fold division of horizon and sky. The instrument could also measure angles and perhaps the position of stars. They also used this instrument for navigation of ships and boats.

Archeologists have also found a scale for measurement. An ivory scale from Lothal has the smallest-known decimal divisions in Indus civilization. The small size indicates its use for fine purposes. The sum total of ten graduations from Lothal is approximate to the angula (a particular size of measurement) in the Arthashastra of Kautilya. Kautilya had written Arthashastra many centuries later. The Lothal craftsmen also took care to ensure durability and accuracy of stone weights by blunting edges before polishing.

Lothal had a good drainage system. The place had a network of underground drains and chambers. After studying the drainage system, the archeologists could learn many things about the layout of streets, houses and baths.

[edit] Religion

The people of Lothal worshipped a fire god. Many fire altars existed, both in houses and in public places. Perhaps people used them to sacrifice animals. Scholars have found evidences of worshipping of animals, and a sea goddess. However, there is no evidence of worship of any mother goddess. Even in the present time, local people living in that area worship a sea goddess.

Until now, archeologists have found only 17 graves. They estimate the population of Lothal was about 15,000. Thus, the number of graves is very small compared to the total population. Therefore, some scholars believe that people of Lothal also practiced cremation. Cremation means burning of the dead bodies.

[edit] Beads & seals

Archeologists have found many items of beads and seals manufactured at Lothal in many places of West Asia. Some of these places are: Kish and Ur (in modern Iraq), Jalalabad (Afghanistan) and Susa (Iran). This indicates trade links of Lothal with far off places. The methods of Lothal bead-makers were so advanced that many modern bead makers still use these systems. For example, many modern bead makers in the Khambhat (of Gujarat, India) area still follow the same technique.

Archeologists have found 213 seals. Seal-cutters engraved images of animals on the seals. Some animals so engraved are: short-horned bulls, mountain goats, tigers; and also combination of two animals like the elephant-bull for engravings. The people also used stamp seals to seal packets of cargo and goods. Rulers and merchants also used stamp seals with inscriptions.

[edit] Metal works

Copper found in Lothal is mostly pure. The people imported copper ingots perhaps from the places in the Arabian Peninsula. Workers of Lothal mixed tin with copper for the manufacture of many items. Some of these items were: arrowheads, fishhooks, chisels, bangles, rings, drills and spearheads. Manufacturing of weapons was on a small scale. They used good techniques for casting birds and animals. Sometimes, they used more than one mould to caste figures of birds and animals. They also invented new tools such as curved saws and twisted drills unknown to other civilizations at the time.

Lothal was one of the most important centres of production for shell working. Chank shell was available in plenty in the Gulf of Kutch and near the Kathiawar coast. People made many items of shells like gamesmen, beads, unguent vessels, chank shells, ladles and inlays. Some items they traded locally, and some items they exported to far off places. Using shell, they also made parts of stringed musical instruments.

There was a workshop where artisans made things of ivory. Archeologists have found several items made of ivory, including ivory seals, and sawn pieces for boxes, combs, rods, inlays and ear-studs. People of Lothal also made large number of gold ornaments of different shapes and sizes. A ring of thin copper wire resembles the gold-wire rings used by modern Hindus for weddings.

[edit] Arts

Lothal offers two new types of pottery works: a convex bowl with or without stud handle, and a small jar with flaring rim. Such types are unique to Lothal and not found in other Indus Valley Civilization cultures of that time.

Lothal artists introduced a new form of painting. It was like the modern realism style of painting. A realism painting tries to show images with close details. Paintings of Lothal show animals in their natural surroundings. Upon one large vessel found, the artist had depicted birds with fish in their beaks resting in a tree, while a fox-like animal stands below. This scene bears resemblance to the story of the crow and cunning fox in Panchatantra and many other folklores. On a miniature jar, the story of the thirsty crow and deer is depicted: of how the deer could not drink from the narrow-mouth of the jar, while the crow succeeded by dropping stones in the jar. Movements and emotions are suggested by the positioning of body parts and facial features on jar without overcrowding. The realistic portrayal of human beings and animals suggests a careful study of anatomy and natural features.

In Lothal, archeologists have discovered a complete set of terra-cotta gamesmen. They look like modern pieces of chessmen used in the game of chess. Animal figures with wheels and a movable head were used as toys.

[edit] Excavated Lothal

Lothal stands 285 metres north-to-south and 228 metres east-to-west. At the height of its habitation, it covered a wider area since remains have been found 300 metres south of the mound. Due to the fragile nature of unbaked bricks and frequent floods, the superstructure of all buildings has moved away. Parts of walls, platforms, wells, drains, baths and paved floors are visible. But due to the loam deposited by persistent floods, the dock walls remained preserved even after the big flood of 1900 BC. The ancient inlet channel and riverbed also got filled-in.

The ASI has covered many sections of the excavated sites with earth to protect them from damage. However, the site is getting damaged due to the rain and exposure to the nature. Many visitors come to the site. This is also damaging the delicate bricks and structures. Despite some attempts to restore, the foundation of the structures is becoming weaker.

[edit] Dock and warehouse

The people of Lothal had constructed the dock away from the main current to avoid deposition of silt. This was the earliest known dock found in the world. The dock had facilities for ships to berth. It also had facilities to repair and service ships. The location of Lothal was also a good location for such a dockyard. It has many natural advantages. Based on these facts, some modern oceanographers believe that people of Lothal had good knowledge about tides in order to build such a dock. The dock measured about 21.8 metres in the north-south direction, and 37 metres in the east-west direction. They had also made a system of inlet channels. These allowed the ships to enter with the high tides. Many other facilities provided proper working of the dockyard.

There was also a warehouse. It stood on a platform of baked mud-bricks. Originally there were sixty-four blocks. The higher level of their construction was a protection against floods. Its location was near the acropolis. Its location near the acropolis had an advantage. The ruling class lived in the acropolis. This allowed the ruling class to supervise activity at the warehouse. Despite many precautions, the major floods destroyed all but twelve blocks. These became the makeshift storehouse.

[edit] The town

Lothal had a town center, the acropolis. It was the place of its political and commercial activity. The town center measured 127.4 metres east-to-west, and 60.9 metres north-to-south. There were also several streets.

The people used mud-bricks to build houses. The houses even had bathrooms. The people build houses on raised platforms of mud-bricks. The ruler's residence is 43.92 square metres (472.8 sq ft) in area with a 1.8-square-meter-bath (19 sq ft).

The Lower town had a marketplace.

[edit] Bead factory

Archeologists have excavated a factory for producing beads. In Lothal, bead manufacturing was an important activity. The factory has a central courtyard. Apart from the courtyard, the bead factory has eleven rooms, residences, store and a guardhouse. Archeologists also found parts of a kiln for firing purposes.

Opposite the factory, there stood a large mud-brick building. It has four large rooms, and a hall. The building measures 17.1 by 12.8 metres. The hall had a large doorway. A fire-altar stood in the southern corner of the building. Archeologists believe this to be a common place of worship for the people of Lothal.

[edit] References

  • S. R. Rao, Lothal (published by the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India, 1985)
  • S. P. Gupta (ed.), The Lost Sarasvati and the Indus Civilization (1995), Kusumanjali Prakashan, Jodhpur
  • Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Ancient cities of the Indus Valley Civilization (1998) Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195779401

[edit] External links