Dholavira
Kotada Timba
India · Gujarat, Kachchh
In brief
The Harappan city on Khadir Island stands out for its stone architecture and extensive water collection system. The excavated city and the cemetery to its west provide evidence of the settlement's social organization and craft production.
What was found?
- 1Rock-cut water reservoirs
These are large water reservoirs extending along the city's eastern and southern walls. They are important components of a system that made use of seasonal flows and limited water resources.
- 2Multiple layers of fortifications
These are defensive structures surrounding different sections of the city. They show Dholavira's preplanned urban layout divided into sections.
- 3Beadworking workshops
These are work areas devoted to bead production. They document specialized craft production in the city.
- 4Copper and shell objects
These are objects made from different materials recovered during excavations. They reflect the material diversity and technical skills of Harappan craftspeople.
- 5Monumental commemorative tombs
The cemetery contains different types of cenotaphs, or commemorative tombs. They shed light on the diversity of practices for commemorating the dead in Harappan society.
What does it point to?
Urban life in Dholavira depended on the ability to collect and store water in an arid environment. Workshops and evidence of trade show that the settlement had connections with other Harappan cities, Mesopotamia, and the Oman Peninsula.
What did it teach us?
- It showed that comprehensive storage systems were developed to address water scarcity in Harappan cities.
- Differences in the size and quality of houses provided evidence of social stratification.
- It documented the existence of different structures for commemorating the dead in the Harappan world.
Images
Record
- Culture
- Indus Valley Civilization
- First modern dig
- 1989
- Team / historical
- Archaeological Survey of India
- Coordinates
- 23.8884°, 70.2133°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Lothal 258 km
- Mohenjo-daro 435 km
- Sanchi 768 km
- Harappa 794 km
- Shahr-i Sokhta 1,151 km
- Mes Aynak 1,158 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
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Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
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Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
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Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
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Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
All excavation sites (385)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
