ABSTRACT
Recent discoveries and radiocarbon dates provide good evidence to consider anew the Vakhsh culture of southern Tajikistan. This “culture” is almost exclusively identified by its burials under kurgans (“classical Vakhsh culture”) except for one settlement, and by its handmade pottery. A detailed classification of the pottery coupled with the available dates or comparisons is presented here. It can now safely be dated between the second half of the 3rd millennium and the 17th century BC as shown by radiocarbon dates and is thus contemporary with the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). A few Vakhsh pots have been found in southern Bactria up to Herat and parallels can also be found in graves from Gonur Depe. It has no connection with the Andronovo culture but presents affinities with communities of the Altai-Xinjiang area.
