Dholavira

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Sites of the Indus cultures
Plan of Dholavira
Citadel and walls of Dholavira
Water reservoir with stairs
Street with stairs

Dholavira ( Gujarati : ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site belonging to the Indus cultures in the west of what is now the Indian state of Gujarat .

location

The archaeological site of Dholavira is located in the Kachchh (district) at an altitude of approx. 30 m above sea level. d. M. approx. 1 km south of the eponymous today's village in the dry steppe of the Rann von Kachchh ; which in the monsoon season can also turn into a swamp area, even a lake landscape. The border with Pakistan is only about 20 km to the north. The next major city is Patan, a good 260 km (driving distance) to the east .

history

The more than 4500 year old city, built from natural stones instead of the usual clay bricks , is one of the sites of the Indus cultures and was probably an outpost or a trading post of Harappa . According to the findings of archaeologists, it was from approx. 2650 to 1450 BC. Settled; the walls visible today, etc., mostly belong to the later phase. The remains of the settlement were discovered in the late 1960s and partially excavated in several campaigns since the 1990s.

Archaeological site

The city, built on flat terrain, is overlooked by a higher fortress ( citadel or acropolis ), which offered protection both from attacks by migrating cattle nomads and from floods. The approximately 770 × 615 m large city complex had a rectangular floor plan, a straight road network and was enclosed by walls. Outside the walls ran creeks or irrigation channels; Peasants probably settled here, of whose huts, made of branches, brushwood, straw and clay, nothing can be seen today; in times of need people, cattle and other valuables found space within the city wall. There were houses and craftsmen's houses here, possibly even small shops, granaries and water reservoirs - one of which had a staircase leading down. In October 2014, excavation work began on an elongated stepwell about 73.50 m long and about 7 m deep.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Dholavira  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 23 ° 53 ′ 10 ″  N , 70 ° 13 ′ 0 ″  E