Helmand culture

The Helmand culture (also Helmand civilization) is a Bronze Age culture that flourished mainly in the Helmand valley in the eastern Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and south Afghanistan (Helmand Province), predominantly in the third millennium BC.
The people of the Helmand culture lived partly in cities with temples and palaces, providing evidence for a complex and advanced social structure. The main cities so far known are Shahr-e Sukhteh (in modern Iran) and Mundigak (Afghanistan). Research on the finds from both places showed that these cities shared the same culture. These are the earliest discovered cities in this part of the world, although Mehrgarh further north is considerably older. It is possible that the Helmand culture formed once one ancient state.
The pottery of the Helmand civilization is colorfully painted with mainly geometrical patterns, plants and animals are also depicted. Bronze was known. In Shahr-e Sukhteh were found texts in Elamite language providing evidence with connections to the west of the Iran. There are also a few connections with the Indus Valley Civilisation, but it seems that the Helmand civilization was earlier and did not overlap chronological very much with the cities in the Indus valley.