4 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New studies confirm that there was indeed a shipyard at Lothal, the commercial center of the Harappan civilization and world’s oldest port

Since the discovery of Harappan sites at Lothal, located about 30 kilometers inland from the coast of the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat, India, in the 1950s, archaeologists have been divided on whether a dockyard existed at the location during the Indus Valley Civilisation.

This may now change as a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar (IITGn) has found fresh evidence that can confirm the dockyard’s existence. This pioneering research reveals fresh insights into how the region’s hydrography shaped ancient trade and cultural interactions.

Harappan civilization, also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation or Indus civilization, is the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The dates of the Civilisation appear to be about 2500–1700 BCE, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium BCE. Among the world’s three earliest civilizations—the other two are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt—the Indus Civilisation was the most extensive.

As an anomaly in the overall pattern of Harappan settlements, Lothal is situated in the southernmost part of this civilization. Around 2500 BCE, it is thought that indigenous groups of craftsmen and traders with strong ties to the Sindh and Kachchh regions started to occupy Lothal. The Harappans occupied Lothal over the course of the following two or three centuries, building a planned settlement with new industries and increased trade.

Also, Lothal is best known for its well-preserved brick dock and its warehouse, though the hypothesis that this structure served as a dockyard has been the subject of debate in the archaeological literature.

Artifacts of foreign origin found in Lothal confirm its intercultural trade relationships with other civilizations.

The site of the dockyard at Lothal, Gujarat, during the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation. (Wikimedia Commons)

Owing to its closeness to valuable resources like amazonite, steatite, carnelian, copper, and shells, Lothal played a significant role as a trading hub for the vast Indo-Saraswati plains. It was also a major hub for the export of cotton goods, stone beads, and ivory. The evidence of Harappan pottery, seals, weights, and decorated carnelian beads in Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf coast, and Elam suggests that its trade connections were not restricted to the Indus region.

Harappan artifacts have been discovered at a number of coastal settlements around the Persian Gulf. Additionally, a number of Harappan artisanal production centers and habitation sites along the vast coastline, which stretches from the Makran coast in Pakistan near the Iranian border to Lothal in the Gulf of Khambhat, support the maritime trade activities of Lothal.

Approximately 222 meters long, 37 meters wide, and 4 meters deep, a sizable trapezoidal basin of baked bricks is found in Lothal’s eastern region. The existence of an inlet and outlet channel, a 240-meter-wide mudbrick platform on the western edge to facilitate cargo handling, and the presence of a “warehouse” close to this structure are some of the features that lend credence to the dockyard theory.

This hypothesis, however, has been a subject of debate among scholars. Despite this evidence, some scholars, alternative theories have been proposed that consider the structure as a water reservoir for irrigation and human consumption.

The study has revealed that the Sabarmati River used to flow by Lothal (currently, it flows 20 km away from the location) during the Harappan Civilisation. There was also a travel route connecting Ahmedabad, through Lothal, the Nal Sarovar wetland, and the Little Rann, to Dholavira — another Harappan site, according to analysis.

Reconstruction of the original course of the river through Lothal. Image Credit: E. Gupta et al.

“Satellite images have unveiled the old channels of the River Sabarmati, suggesting Lothal’s key location on a significant river route linked to Koth [a village in Ahmedabad] and other resource-rich areas on the one hand and Little Rann of Kachchh through the Nal Sarovar on the other. The research supports the dockyard theory and addresses concerns about historical inlets, demonstrating Lothal’s importance for trade via river and sea routes,” according to a statement by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

For their study, the researchers used data from early maps, satellite imagery, and digital elevation models — 3D models that represent the topography of a planet or celestial body.

The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in August. It has been carried out by Ekta Gupta, V N Prabhakar, and Vikrant Jain of IITGn.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Prabhakar said, “Using the technology we could find a gradual shifting of the Sabarmati river where it reached its present-day course. One of these is coinciding with Lothal. So it means when Lothal was there as a Harappan port, definitely this river was flowing at the spot. The Nal Sarovar was in full flow out from which one river came out. So there was a connection from Lothal as one can directly go to the Nal Sarovar and from here to the Little Rann, then on to Dholavira. If one person travels by boat, he can reach there within two days. So this is how the traders might have traveled, transferred goods because, from Lothal, we have got the evidence of foreign trade.”

The study suggests that traders came to Gujarat through the Gulf of Khambhat, probably went to Ratanpura to get materials, and carried them to Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).

Ministry of Education of India

doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.106046

Cover Image: The site of the dockyard at Lothal, Gujarat, during the Harappan or Indus Valley Civilisation. Harappa.com

Related Articles

A new finding in Persepolis reveals a Royal wall

23 October 2023

23 October 2023

A new find at Persepolis, whose magnificent ruins rest at the foot of Kuh-e Rahmat (Mount of Mercy) in southwestern...

Underwater excavations start at 1,700-year-old ancient Black Sea port Kerpe

20 September 2021

20 September 2021

The traces of the ancient harbor on the Black Sea coast of Kerpe, in Kocaeli’s Kandıra district, are being brought...

Viking Gold Treasure Unearthed on Isle of Man by Veteran Metal Detectorist

2 June 2025

2 June 2025

A remarkable piece of Viking gold has been unearthed on the Isle of Man, shedding new light on the island’s...

On the beach of Herculaneum, a victim of the Vesuvius explosion was discovered with his bag

4 December 2021

4 December 2021

Archaeologists released haunting images Wednesday of the skeletal remains of a man buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in...

Gate sanctuary discovered during the excavation of Archanes palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe

24 October 2024

24 October 2024

Recent excavations at the Archanes Minoan palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe, have revealed an important...

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era

12 October 2022

12 October 2022

Syria uncovered a large intact mosaic that dates back to the Roman era, in the central town of Rastan, describing...

A rare Saint George seal was found during excavations near Suzdal

27 June 2023

27 June 2023

The archaeological survey of the Suzdal Opole, initiated by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences more...

9th-Century Slave-Built Large-Scale Agricultural System Discovered in Southern Iraq

3 June 2025

3 June 2025

A recent archaeological study has unveiled compelling evidence of a vast agricultural infrastructure in southern Iraq, believed to have been...

A Small Sandstone Carved With A Viking Ship May Be Oldest Picture Ever Found In Iceland

16 June 2023

16 June 2023

Archaeologists in East Iceland have found a sandstone carved with a Viking ship that may be the oldest picture ever...

Was Stavanger Cathedral Built on a Viking Settlement?

4 June 2021

4 June 2021

Archaeologists have discovered animal bones and habitation evidence underneath the northern part of Stavanger cathedral that they believe date from...

A First in Denmark: Rare 4th Century Roman Helmet and Chainmail Found

3 February 2025

3 February 2025

Archaeologists have recently unearthed a massive stockpile of weapons near Hedensted, Denmark, buried 1,500 years ago by an ancient chief....

The 3,000-Year-Old Ancient City is Under Danger

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

For the port planned to be built in Izmir’s Aliağa district, a part of the 3,000-year-old ancient city is in...

Female pharaoh’s temple reveals teamwork of Egypt’s ‘ancient masters’

18 November 2021

18 November 2021

Despite the widely acknowledged monumentality and durability of ancient Egyptian sculpture, carved reliefs, and paintings the makers of these works...

Statue of Roman Emperor Hadrianus found in western Turkey

14 September 2021

14 September 2021

Excavations in the ancient city of Alabanda in the western province of Aydin have uncovered pieces of the statue of...

Time Team Cracks Sutton Hoo Mystery: ‘Master Count’ Bucket Was a Burial Urn

20 May 2025

20 May 2025

In a remarkable breakthrough at the historic Sutton Hoo site in Suffolk, England, archaeologists have revealed that a 6th-century Byzantine...