Lothal
Dr Y S Rawat, director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), said, “A team has found sand in the soil as a sediment layer, indicating that a river, or a channel of a river, flowed near the town, helping connect the structure as an all-season docking facility with the larger riverine system connected to Arabian Sea. “The excavation is taking place in the northeast of the remains of the Harappan-era town,” Rawat said. Dr Shubha Majumder, superintending archaeologist with the Vadodara Circle of ASI, said that the layout of the lower town is clearer, with some structures having hearths and furnaces, pointing to their usage as workshops. Systematic planning ensured that a sort of assembly line was prepared to handle everything from raw materials to finished products, keeping in mind the eventual destination of the dockyard,” Majumder said. Majumder said the structures signify water conservation and a system of using water for different parts of the town. “The layout and town planning indicate changes over the centuries based on the change in population and dominant trade,” he said. The wall, made of bricks, is likely to have been constructed to safeguard against wear and tear and provide shelter to stored goods, said officials.
Another aspect is the town planning and design. “The artefacts and built material found from the site present a picture of a thriving industrious town. “The layout is well connected to the dockyard. “A continuous row of structures is found from one end of the town to the dockyard. Some artefacts found by the team include stud-handled bowls, fishhooks, seals, black slip jars, storage pots, terracotta animal and human figurines, steatite and terracotta buttons, and weights. “The site shows signs of Sorath Harappan characteristics in the context of artefacts found. A major boundary wall has been found near a warehouse adjacent to the dockyard in Lothal. The wall runs from south to north and turns eastwards, added officials. Officials found a passage that may have been used as a movement area.
