New excavation rewrites Lothal timeline and maritime might | Ahmedabad News

Ahmedabad: Sixty years after the last major dig at Lothal, archaeologists have found fresh clues showing that the port thrived for centuries after the Mature Harappan period, a time from 2600-1900 BCE when the civilization reached its zenith. The new treasure trove — furnaces, bead-making material and cultural layers — suggest that the port did not decline, but rather evolved further to eventually merge with the Sorath Harappan cultural region nearby.Officials say the new excavations that began in 2025, also assume significance as they will support the creation of an experiential museum for visitors to Dholera and the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC), which highlights India’s seafaring traditions.Dr Shubha Majumder, superintending archaeologist of the Vadodara Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who is overseeing the excavations, said that the site was excavated between 1955 and 1962 by celebrated archaeologist Dr S R Rao. He not only found the central citadel (the structure he identified as the dockyard), and the lower town, but also carried out excavations in nearby areas to establish its position as a major Harappan site.“We have taken up excavation after over 60 years due to two factors – the excavation at the site near the existing structures will help us put the overall site in perspective in context of town planning and activities, and the site’s role as the world’s oldest surviving maritime structure in context of upcoming NMHC in the vicinity,” said Majumder.Indeed, excavations in the area spanning nearly 300 sq m have yielded three distinct cultural phases – the earliest dating back to 2400 BCE and latest, around 1700 BCE. The most important discovery is of the dockyard besides hearths and furnaces between the existing structure – identified as bead factory by Rao.“The layout indicates that the material must have come from the waterway and must have travelled through a well-thought-out town layout – roughly between the Upper Town and Lower Town of the classical Harappan town planning – as the beads were made and finally stored in the bead factory,” said Majumder.Here lies the secret of the site’s longevity, indicate ASI officials. It is one of the few sites in the region where the drill bits made of ernestite are found, along with a large cache of raw material such as carnelian, agate, lapis lazuli etc besides finished products, primarily beads, which were the a key barter item used by the Harappans.Majumder said that the presence of such a large cache of material indicates the town’s importance as not just a trading post, but also as a production centre. “These activities continued much after the Mature phase of civilization. We are finding signs of activities and other materials including terracotta figurines, chert blades, shell bangles, etc. along with a large cache of pottery,” he added.Dr Y S Rawat, director general of ASI, told TOI that the new find can be seen in the light of the region’s overall history. “Harappan sites are well-established across Gujarat including the Saurashtra peninsula, and from all three phases — Early, Mature and Late Harappan. One theory connects the later sites – coinciding with Sorath Harappan between 1900 and 1700 BCE – on the Saurashtra coast through a sea trade route. It is also possible that the same persons who inhabited Lothal later migrated to and established sites such as Rangpur,” he said.Dr Rawat added that the analysis of the artifacts including pottery found from the site will help create its chronology and connect it with other sites in the vicinity. “It has remained one of the most important Harappan sites, and thus the new details will help scholars understand it from different perspectives,” he added.He added that ASI is preparing to develop the site as an experiential museum for visitors by conserving excavated remains and providing AR/VR experience. “An all-weather shed will also come up on the site,” he added.Experts pointed out that at the time of Rao, extensive excavations had not taken place in Saurashtra region and thus the terminology ‘Sorath Harappan’ to denote that the local variant of civilization that cohabited with Late Harappan period and afterwards was not coined. Thus, Lothal could hold a key to understanding this transition from Late Harappan period (1900 to 1300 BCE) to regional civilization marked by distinct pottery and other artifacts.The extensive excavation, covering three sides of the existing site, will also help understand the town planning of the site, said ASI officials. “The current excavation will help corroborate some of the theories proposed by Dr Rao and also find new features. For example, we have already found a well and traces of gypsum from the south of the site. We are yet to establish whether it was used to take the waste of the town out. Likewise, we are finding some traces of structures right near the dockyard. By the end of the excavation, we will also understand its possible usage,” said Majumder.