Mwala wa Cochno, womwe umapezeka ku West Dunbartonshire, ku Scotland, akukhulupirira kuti uli ndi chitsanzo chabwino kwambiri cha kapu ya Bronze Age ndi mphete zozokota ku Ulaya, zokhala ndi mikwingwirima yambirimbiri yozungulira, zojambulidwa, zojambula zamitundumitundu, ndi mitundu yodabwitsa yamitundu yosiyanasiyana.
Mwala wa Cochno unalembedwa koyamba mu 1887 ndi Rev. James Harvey. Zaka 78 pambuyo pake, mwalawo unakwiriridwanso mu 1965 kuti utetezedwe ku zowonongeka. Rev. James Harvey adapeza mwala wa 42ft by 26ft mu 1887, m'minda yomwe ili pafupi ndi malo omwe tsopano ndi nyumba ya Faifley yomwe ili kunja kwa Clydebank. Ili ndi zilembo 90 zojambulidwa zomwe zimadziwika kuti "chikho" ndi "mphete".
Makapu ndi mphete ndi mtundu wa luso lakale lomwe limapangidwa ndi kukhumudwa komwe kumadulidwa pathanthwe ndipo nthawi zina kumazunguliridwa ndi mabwalo ozungulira omwenso amakhomeredwa mwala. Zojambulazo zimawoneka ngati petroglyph pamiyala yachilengedwe ndi ma outcrops, komanso pa megaliths monga ma slab cists, mphete za miyala, ndi manda a manda.
Kumpoto kwa England, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, North West Spain, North West Italy, Central Greece, ndi Switzerland ndi malo omwe amapezeka kwambiri. Komabe, mitundu yofananira yapezeka padziko lonse lapansi, kuphatikiza ku Mexico, Brazil, ndi India.
Chikho ndi zizindikiro za mphete pamwala wa Cochno, womwe amalingaliridwa kukhala zaka pafupifupi 5,000, zimatsagana ndi mtanda wokhazikika wa Chikristu chisanayambe woikidwa mkati mwa chowulungika, komanso mapeyala awiri a mapazi osemedwa, chilichonse chili ndi zala zinayi zokha. Chifukwa cha mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya zilembo zomwe zili pamenepo, Mwala wa Cochno wadziwika kuti ndi chipilala chomwe chakonzedwa ndipo ndi chofunikira kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi.
Akatswiri ofukula zinthu zakale sangatsimikize kuti n’chiyani chikusonyezedwa pamwala waukuluwu, wofotokoza ngati mapulaneti ndi nyenyezi. Palibe mawu omaliza ochokera kwa ofufuza pa tanthauzo la zizindikiro zovuta zomwe zimapezeka pamwamba pake. Kodi ndi mapu akumwamba kapena dziko lapansi? Kapena ndi guwa lansembe limene ankachitirako miyambo?
Ngakhale kufunikira koyambirira kwa Mwala wa Cochno kuyiwalika, zongopeka zosiyanasiyana zaperekedwa za momwe ntchito yake ingakhalire.
Ena amanena kuti slab kwenikweni ndi portal, ya moyo ndi imfa, kusonyeza kubadwanso. Pamene kuli kwakuti akatswiri ena ofukula mabwinja amanena kuti zojambula zocholoŵana za dome, mizere, ndi mphete, ndi chisonyezero chakale cha zojambulajambula za miyala zimene zapezeka m’madera ambiri a dziko lapansi.
Malinga ndi akatswiri, zizindikirozi zinayambira mu Neolithic ndi Bronze Age yoyambirira koma pali zowunikira zomwe zapezeka kuyambira nthawi ya Iron Age.
Wofufuza wina dzina lake Alexander McCallum ananena kuti mwala wa Cochno ndi mapu osonyeza midzi ina ku Clyde Valley. Malinga ndi Alexander, zizindikiro zodabwitsazi zimakumbutsa zozungulira zazikulu zomwe nthawi zambiri zimatchedwa zitukuko zakunja.
M'zaka zaposachedwa, Mwala wa Cochno sunakwiridwe, kuphunziridwa ndikuyikidwanso ndi ofukula zakale kangapo. Anafukula malowa ndikugwiritsa ntchito kafukufuku wamakono ndi kujambula (ukadaulo wa 3D-imaging) kuti alembe zojambulazo, akuyembekeza kuti kuchuluka kwa deta yomwe akwanitsa kusonkhanitsa kungathandize ofufuza ena kuyesa kutanthauzira mizere yakale yodabwitsayi. Chifukwa chake, tanthauzo la Mwala wa Cochno likadali chinsinsi chosasinthika mpaka pano.
