Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c7.s1.12

c7.s1.12

DOCKYARD AT LOTHAL— At Lothal (Saragwala Tila, Distt. Ahmedabad) a respectable town two miles round, divided by a broad street, into six blocks, was discoverd in 1958-59, a large dockyard roughly trapezoid on plan, its eastern and western embankments being 710' long, the northern 124' and southern 116'. The greatest extent height of the embankment was 14'. Boats could enter the harbour at high tide through an opening in the eastern embankment, the dwarf-wall near the entrance being meant to retain water even at low tide. A spill-channel existed in the southern embankment for the outlet of excess water, care being taken to provide even a sliding door fixed in two groves at the mouth of the channel. [Fig. 11]. This gives proof of the sea-borne trade carried on by the Harappans settled at Lothal. Unfortunately the dockyard and the town were submerged by a major flood.