Kulli culture
Kulli culture is the modern name of a Bronze Age culture in southern Balochistan, which about the same time (around 2500-1900 BC) existed as the Indus Valley Civilization and was closely related with this. It is named after the place in Kulli Kolva where Sir Aurel Stein discovered that culture.
The Kulli culture complex is so far little explored. There is limited Kulli places has been dug in which a large area.
Settlements
Are typical big city -like, apparently planned scale settlements. Often it is tells. The preferred building material was stone. These range from crude, unprocessed blocks up to clean carved stones. The stone houses were built along straight roads. The largest city is discovered Murda Sang with an area of about 35 ha, near which there were also two powerful dam systems. The main industry was certainly the agriculture, the dam systems indicate a sophisticated irrigation economy.
Burials
There are few documents for the burial customs. In Mehi least 10 burials could be investigated. The burnt bones have been deposited in the ballot box, but also directly in the ground. In one case, found six skulls of children over the age of an adult. As grave goods was found ceramics. There were clay figures and some copper objects.
Material Culture
The pottery and other objects of culture, such as small clay figures, are clearly related to the Indus Valley Civilization. However, there are local variations, especially the ceramic. Cattle figures have been found in large numbers at Kulli places. The figures are 8-10 cm long and usually depicted with a hump. It is zebu. They are usually painted with a stripe pattern, which is probably purely decorative. In addition to the cattle figures also found numerous female characters, although they are less frequent than the cattle. The figures are usually designed rather simple and only go to the waist and stand there on a flat rate. The face is made rough and looks almost like a cartoon. They often wear rich ornaments, such as necklaces, bracelets as well. In the cemetery of Mehi, there were also numerous copper objects, among which a mirror with a woman is as a handle. In addition, there are two needles, a copper bracelet and a small copper bowl. An analysis of the shell showed that the copper nickel was added.
Currently, the question must remain open whether the Kulli culture was a provincial variant of the Indus Valley Civilization or represents a separate culture complex. In any case, it can be assumed by an intense trade between the two cultures. Kulli pottery was also found at Umm an-Nar in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. From Mehi also Chloritgefäß that were imported from Iran today and have been produced and marketed by the Jiroft culture originate.
In the Kulli culture seals were already in use.
End
After the end of the Kulli culture shortly after 2000 BC the southern Balochistan was apparently a long time uninhabited or at least inhabited by only few people.