The formative phase of the Helmand Civilization, Iran and Afghanistan: New data from compositional analysis of ceramics from Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran

Abstract

The Helmand Civilization in southern Afghanistan and southeastern Iran dates to the third millennium BCE and is best documented by the sites of Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran) and Mundigak (Afghanistan). Its formative phase in the late fourth/early third millennia BCE corresponds to a period that witnesses for the first time a substantial increase in interregional relationships within and between the Indo-Iranian Borderlands and southern Central Asia. Period I at Shahr-i Sokhta is a good illustration of this phenomenon as this period's remains – particularly the ceramics – are characterized by numerous traits with relationships to various, distant cultural spheres located in Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Yet, in many cases, the nature of these relationships remains unclear. In this article, we utilize Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) on different ceramic styles from Shahr-i Sokhta Period I along with one sherd from Mundigak Period III in order to determine whether these shared traits represent actual exchange among separate cultural groups or local imitations of distant ceramic styles. Our results provide new information on the intercultural interactions that occurred during the foundation period of Shahr-i Sokhta and the formative phase of the Helmand Civilization. More broadly, they add another piece to the research that aims to define the nature of the increasing interregional relationships visible around 3000 BCE in eastern Middle Asia.