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Massive 4,500-Year-Old 'Indus Valley Inland Port' and Stone Mooring Bollards Uncovered in Punjab’s Beas Basin

📅 April 11, 2026 📰 Archaeology Weekly
Massive 4,500-Year-Old 'Indus Valley Inland Port' and Stone Mooring Bollards Uncovered in Punjab’s Beas Basin

A breakthrough excavation at the newly identified site of Vyasgarh has revealed a sprawling inland port dating back to the Mature Harappan period. Archaeologists uncovered a 300-meter-long brick-lined basin connected to an ancient paleochannel of the Beas River, featuring perfectly preserved stone mooring bollards and timber remnants of riverine cargo vessels. This discovery confirms that the Indus Valley Civilization maintained a sophisticated river-based logistics network deep into the northern plains.

The port area is surrounded by high-capacity granaries and a customs house containing hundreds of clay sealings with motifs of the mythical unicorn and the zebu bull. Analysis of sediment inside the basin suggests the port handled bulk shipments of timber, copper ore, and semi-precious stones, serving as a critical transit hub for the trade route between the Himalayan foothills and the coastal city of Lothal.

Original source: Archaeology Weekly