Lothal dockyard
Topic: Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvati) Civilisation · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 6 "The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation"
Meaning
The Lothal dockyard is a huge brick basin at Lothal, a Harappan port town in Gujarat. It is about 217 m long and 36 m wide. Archaeologists read it as a dock, a place where boats came in to load and unload goods. It is key evidence of Harappan trade by sea.
Example
Lothal was excavated by S.R. Rao in 1955. Lothal stood close to sources of raw materials, such as carnelian from Bharuch and steatite from south Rajasthan and north Gujarat. Boats from here could reach the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamian texts call the Harappan region Meluhha, the "land of seafarers".
Don't confuse with
- Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro: The Great Bath is a much smaller tank (about 12 × 7 m) on the Citadel, made watertight for ritual bathing. The Lothal basin was a dock for boats.
Related concepts
- Harappan town planning
- Citadel
- Lower Town
- Upper town and lower town
- Harappan bricks
- Harappan domestic architecture
- Harappan drainage system
- Mohenjo-daro
- Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro
- Warehouse of Mohenjo-daro