Bronze Age culture (also called 'Helmand civilization') of the middle and lower Helmand River valley, spanning Sistan (eastern Iran) and Kandahar/Helmand/Nimruz provinces (southern Afghanistan). Its two major cities, Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran) and Mundigak (Afghanistan), shared painted geometric pottery and a common material culture; Elamite-language texts found at Shahr-i Sokhta attest contact with Elam to the west.
Declined after its floruit; both Shahr-i Sokhta and Mundigak were substantially abandoned by the early 2nd millennium BC as regional trade patterns shifted.
Covers the Helmand/Sistan Bronze Age culture alongside Jiroft and the wider Iranian plateau.