Name- Mandeep Kaur Puri

Subject- History of India 1

Indus Valley Civilisation is considered the cradle of the civilizations in India. The civilization
spanned an area stretching from today's north-western and western parts of India, the
northeast region of Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Harappa and Mohenjodaro, two of the major
sites of the civilization got separated from India due to partition. Thereafter, Indian
archaeologists began an intensive exploration leading to the excavation of significant sites.
Lothal became the first site of the Indus valley civilization to be discovered and excavated in
independent India. (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl). The excavations at Lothal
revealed that the Harappan Civilisation didn't confine to the north-western region of India but
also spread through the Saurashtra region (Indian Archaeology 1954-1955: A review).
Despite of the fact that the site has been categorized as a small site, it has been termed as a
‘special purpose site’ by B. Alchin and R. Alchin. The exhumations at Lothal made
archaeologists deem it as a 'transit station' (Understanding Harappa by Sheeren Ratnagar,
Chapter-2). The pieces of evidence like the finished products and waste materials that have
been uncovered from Lothal suggest that it was probably a ‘centre of craftsmanship’ (The
Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-81). It is often referred to as the oldest port city
of India, which linked ancient India with Mesopotamia and aided the merchandise of
materials from one place to another. (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-80).
Since it is situated in proximity it to water it must have been a resource centre (Origin of a
Civilisation by B.Alchin and R.Alchin, page 174).
'Lothal': in the Gujarati language means "Mound of the Dead Men." Geographically, it is in
the present-day Gujrat near the Gulf of Cambay in the Ahemdabad District. (The Indus
civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-80). Sites like- Surkotada and Dholavira are the
neighbours of Lothal since they were also a part of Indus Valley Civilisation and presently
belong to the state of Gujrat. Lothal came to light in 1954, with the excavations conducted by
S.R.Rao of ASI as a part of a systematic survey conducted in Gujarat to locate Harappan
settlements in India. Henceforth, it has been recognized as a site of archaeological
importance. Although, it had an area of about 4.8 h (The Indus civilization by Gregory
Possehl, Page-63), nevertheless, it allured attention because of the variety of artefacts
recovered from this site including beads, bangles, bowls, and earrings made up of steatite.
Apart from these, faience, agate, carnelian, gold, chert blades, and copper arrowheads have
been recovered. The hallmark seals and sealings of Indus Valley Civilisation have been
recovered from Lothal bearing the motif of unicorn. A Dilmun (present day Bahrain) classic
seal was also found at the surface at this site. Terracotta figurines of animals as well as
humans quite simplistically made, miniature animals made up of lost wax process, weights,
triangular terracotta cakes, and baked bricks added to the inventory of the artefacts that have
been unearthed. (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-82).
The excavations of the site unravelled that earliest phase of Indus valley Civilisation which is
known as the era of regionalisation was marked by red and buff ware pottery in Lothal. This
was represented by a 4-5 ft thick debris. The second phase or the period of mature Harappan
culture was reflected by a clay embankment which was 8ft high and 16ft thick (Indian
Archaeology 1954-55: A review). Just like the rest of the cities of Indus Valley Civilisation,
the settlement at Lothal consisted of a lower town and a platform which has been termed as
Acropolis by the excavators. In this platform, a group of twelve brick platform has been
identified as a warehouse since many sealings were recovered from this place. The most
significant feature of Lothal is that there was a division of spaces where a particular place
was entirely dedicated for activities unlike in Harappa where one room and a courtyard was
used as a place for production. Owing to these indications, it can be deduced that some kind
of specialists would have been required to carry out these activities. Aside from this, a long
building with bathing facilities have also been found. This bathing facility was connected to
the intricate drainage system (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-81). The
drains were made built of burnt bricks whereas the other structures were made up of mud-
bricks (Indian Archaeology 1954-1955: A review). The resident quarters were located in the
lower town along with the manufacturing area (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl,
Page-81). Apart from these, a brick lined enclosure was also found on the eastern side of the
site. (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-80)
Alongside this enclosure, a burnt brick basin of 219 x 13m in size has been termed as a
dockyard by the archaeologist S.R.Rao. (Origin of a Civilisation by B.Alchin and R.Alchin,
page 174). This interpretation is slightly controversial since some of the archaeologists are of
the opinion that it could be a catchment area or a reservoir that was meant for some ritualistic
purposes (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-80). The assumption that this
basin was a dockyard seems to be more appropriate. There were a wide range of activities
that were practiced here including, shell bangle making, ivory processing, metal working, and
pottery, evident from kilns and hearths that have been found. The excavations at Lothal led to
the discovery of a complete bead factory with ample of raw and waste materials. Therefore,
bead production was also carried out. In addition to this a great variety of natural resources
were also available. The wide range of activities to the proportion of the size of the settlement
indicates that the needs of the inhabitants were fulfilled yet there was surplus amount of
goods that would have been stored in the warehouse and exported to different regions. On the
top it, the site is proximity to water resource, therefore it is more likely that this structure
would have been a dockyard and the site would have acted as a trading centre.
A small cemetery, towards the north-west area of the site was found. Therefore, the practice
of burring the dead was carried out here but the technique was quite distinct and unique. It
was known for the ‘joint burials’ where two dead bodies were laid together in one burial.
Burials were found for both the Early and Mature Harappan phase at Lothal. K.A.R.
Kennedy, observed that there was high degree of phenotypic heterogeneity in the skeletal
biology of the inhabitants of Lothal compared to funeral sequences at Harappa and
Mohenjodaro. An analysis of specimens at Lothal suggests that they had a close affinity to
the hunting-gathering communities at Langhnaj. Moreover, he made an interpretation
regarding the joint burials. According to Kennedy, this practice is slightly indicative of the
Indian custom known as Sati. But this interpretation does not seem strong since the burials
consist of corpse with same sex, and no women corpse was found. Even H.D. Sankalia
objected this hypothesis. (The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl, Page-167). In addition
to this, a shoulder bone of an infant was also recovered.
The most captivating feature of Lothal was the massive trade that was taking place at this
site. It is quite possible that during its heyday the site would have acted as the fulcrum of the
production and trading activities of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Not only this, the
inhabitants of Lothal practiced wide range of subsistence activities including hunting-
foraging, fishing and agriculture. Considering the tremendous heterogeneity of this site it is
possible that the area might have been governed by a group of people, who might be
coordinating all sorts of ventures that were being carried out. As it would have been difficult
to manage all of this without any cohesive force. Even the settlement was carefully planned-
all the production houses are in proximity to the warehouse. Therefore, goods could be
transported easily and stored for a while until they were traded. ‘The unearthing of the site
revealed that it came towards its decline, after the settlement was massively damaged by the
floods.’ (Indian Archaeology 1954-55: A Review, page 12). In the future, many more
excavations will be conducted as this site has a lot of potential of garnering more evidences
and might reveal many more aspects that have remained untouched as of now.
References

The Indus civilization by Gregory Possehl

Origin of a civilisation by B.Alchin and R.Alchin
Understanding Harappa by Sheeren Ratnagar
Indian Archaeology 1954-55: A review