Since it was discovered in the 1950s and postulated to be a dockyard, archaeologists and experts have been divided. S R Rao argued that Lothal was a Harappan dockyard based on discoveries at the site, including a 222 x 37 metres basin (claimed to be a dockyard), a wharf to anchor the ships or boats, and artefacts such as Harappan seals.

However not all accept the dockyard theory, "...it was only in modern times that Indian ports came to be directly situated on the sea. It was only then that modern harbour engineering became known. Traditional ports took shelter near small river mouths further inland and would not require a dockyard. However, the seals and sealings indicate that the site may have functioned as a port", archaeologist Shireen Ratnagar asserts in In The Story of an Ancient Dock: Lothal in the History of the Indian Ocean.

A new study by IIT-Gandhinagar published in Science Direct using hybrid methodology including analysis of satellite data to reconstruct past landscapes (river and coastal) has brought forth evidence that the Sabarmati river flowed by Lothal (it presently flows 20 km from it) and so did its tributary, Bhogavo. The study specifically addresses the dockyard theory and concludes: “...the results suggest that the paleochannels running alongside Lothal were River Sabarmati, one of the four major rivers flowing into the Gulf of Khambhat. The tidal effect of the River Sabarmati extends to around 14 km, which is approximately equal to the measured distance from the suggested paleocoastline to Lothal. If we assume that the tidal effect during the Harappan era was similar to what it is today, it is likely that the changes in water level and flow velocity caused by the tides were felt as far as Lothal This would have made it necessary to construct an enclosed dock for safe landing and berthing purposes, considering the very high tidal range in Gulf of Khambat”.

In fact, the Gulf of Khambat’s violent tides and dangerous seas have been featured right at the beginning of the historical period in the Periplus Maris Erythraei (A Journal of Sailing the Red Sea), a 2,000-year-old account of a sailor travelling to India.

The latest study shows that the sea was much closer to Lothal 4,000 years ago, and the tides brought in enough water for Lothal to function as a harbour for ships transporting Indian goods like beads, ivory, carnelian-bead-and cotton from this black soil-rich region. More than 400 Harappan agricultural sites have been discovered in the erstwhile Saurashtra showing that it was a major source of cotton in the ancient world as well.

The warehouse at Lothal

Whether or not Lothal was a dockyard for ships plying in foreign seas to Oman and possibly beyond, another major discovery at this ancient settlement clearly indicates that it was a clearing house of sorts and at the very least was a part of the riverine trade. Ratnagar writes about the warehouse, “Baked bricks were used to ‘pave’ the passages. Grooves were detected in the floor at one end, probably for sliding doors. This is the building which should have made Lothal famous for two closely linked reasons. First, in this structure were found some 90-100 clay sealings (the number varies), about 70 of them all in one passage, the structure being set on fire as a whole. The clay sealings bore the impressions of seals on one side and on the other side, reeds or woven material; plus knots of string used to tie packages had also left their mark. Secondly, there is a theory that these bits of wet clay were deliberately fired hard when the packages were opened for inspection. That is to say, when a parcel was opened and its contents stored for a longer or shorter time, a record of the consignment was kept by baking the sealing”.

We may never be able to ascertain if Lothal is the oldest dockyard in the world (it competes with the Egyptian port of Wadi al-Jarf), and that may not even be the aim.

What is indisputable is that ancient Indians sailed to distant lands, a fact also borne out by numerous temples to goddess Sikotara in Gujarat, who is named after the island of Socotra, which is situated at the mouth of the Red Sea and served as a haven to Indian sea-farers more than 2,000 years ago. Numerous inscriptions in Brahmi script show that Indians used this island as an important halt on the trading route to the Middle East and East Africa. The latest study also underscores the critical aspect of understanding history: Be ready to revisit existing evidence and theories in the light of new technological tools and a multi-disciplinary approach.

HistoriCity is a column by author Valay Singh that narrates the story of a city that is in the news, by going back to its documented history, mythology and archaeological digs. The views expressed are personal