Abavubukuli bathole lokho abakholelwa ukuthi kungamathuluzi amatshe okuqala kunawo wonke ake atholakala, futhi bakholelwa ukuthi enziwa omunye umuntu ngaphandle kokhokho bethu abaseduze kakhulu abangamaHomo.
Imishini yasendulo, eyatholwa ngo-2016 osebeni lweLake Victoria eNyanga, Kenya, ihambisana nephethini ye Oldowan toolkit, igama elinikezwe izinhlobo ezindala kakhulu zamathuluzi amatshe ezenziwe ngezandla ezinjengomuntu.
Amathuluzi asanda kutholakala adalwe phakathi kweminyaka eyizigidi ezingu-2.6 nezingu-3 edlule, ngokwezibalo zamanje, ngaphambi kokuba agqitshwe iminyaka eminingi odaka nesihlabathi. Phakathi kwamathambo ezilwane angu-1,776 ayebonisa iminonjana yokubulala, kwatholakala izinto ezingu-330. Ngaphambi kwalokhu, amathuluzi amadala kakhulu e-Oldowan ayaziwa Iminyaka engu-2.6 million.
Nakuba ubudala bamathuluzi asanda kutholwa kungenzeka ukuthi buye bapholishwa ngokuqhubekayo, ukwakheka kwawo kuhambisana nesikhathi lapho okhokho be-Homo sapiens behamba eduze nabanye abantu bakudala, okubonisa ingqopha-mlando yobuchwepheshe kubakhi bawo - noma ngabe babengubani.
“Ngala mathuluzi ungakwazi ukuchoboza kangcono kunegqoko lendlovu futhi usike kangcono kunecanine yengonyama,” kusho uRick Potts, isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo sase-Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History, owayeyingxenye yocwaningo.
"Ubuchwepheshe base-Oldowan bufana nokuvela kwamazinyo amasha ngaphandle komzimba wakho, futhi bavulela okhokho bethu izinhlobo ezintsha zokudla e-savannah yase-Afrika."
Kwambiwa amatshe asando kanye nama-flakes abukhali acijile ashaywa ezinkambeni zamatshe kanye nezingcezu zezimbambo, i-shin, namathambo e-scapular ezilwaneni ezincelisayo ezinamanselo ezibizwa ngokuthi ama-bovids (njenge-antelope) kanye imvubu.
Njengoba ubona ezithombeni ezingezansi, amathambo anezimpawu zokusika ezijulile lapho abakhi bamathuluzi besika inyama ethanjeni. Ubufakazi bubonisa ukuthi baze bachoboza amanye amathambo ukuze bakhiphe umnkantsha, futhi basebenzisa amathuluzi ukugawula izinto zezitshalo.
Lawa mathuluzi ayesebenza kahle kangangokuthi ubuchwepheshe buzosabalala e-Afrika phakathi nenkulungwane yeminyaka. Izindawo zakamuva zase-Oldowan ezineminyaka eyizigidi ezimbili ubudala zitholwe kusukela enyakatho kuya eningizimu ye-Afrika, kuzo zombili izindawo zokuhlala ezinotshani nezinezinkuni.
Kodwa kuze kube manje, iziza zakuqala zase-Oldowan zazivalelwe e-Ethiopia I-Afar Triangle, ezindaweni ezimbili eziqhelelene ngamakhilomitha angu-50 (31 miles).
Isayithi yeNyanga inweba ibanga lendawo elaziwayo lamathuluzi amadala ase-Oldowan ngamakhilomitha angaphezu kuka-1,300 ukuya eningizimu-ntshonalanga. Kuphinde kuphushele ukuvela kwabo emuva cishe eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-2.9 edlule, umphumela abacwaningi bakhiqiza ngemva kokunciphisa izilinganiso zabo zeminyaka besebenzisa inhlanganisela yamasu okuqomisana.
“Okuthakazelisa ngempela ukuthi lapha kule ngosi unobunye bobufakazi bokuqala bokubulawa kwezilwane ezifuywayo, ngisho nangaphambi kokuba kufike ukusetshenziswa komlilo,” kusho uJulien Louys waseGriffith University’s Australian Research Center for Human Evolution.
Akugcini lapho. Kanye namathambo namathuluzi, ithimba, eliholwa isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo uThomas Plummer eCity University of New York, lithole amazinyo amabili - i-molar engenhla nengezansi kwesokunxele, elilodwa liqhekeke uhhafu, elinye selicishe laqedwa - abacwaningi abahlonze njengawo. I-Paranthropus, umzala wabantu okude.
Ukuhlaziywa kwe-carbon isotope koqweqwe lwamazinyo lwe-molar kwaphakamisa ukuthi abantu bokuqala abavela kuzo babedla ukudla okuningi kwezitshalo, kanye nenyama eshwabadelayo ekhishwe ezidumbu zezilwane.
Elinye lamazinyo litholwe ngokusondelene nezinto zakudala ze-Oldowan, okuholela abacwaningi ukuthi baphakamise ukuthi mhlawumbe la ma-hominins enziwe noma okungenani asebenzisa amathuluzi amatshe, hhayi okhokho bethu abaqondile abavela ku-Homo genus.
Amathuluzi e-Oldowan ngokuvamile abalelwa kuhlobo lwe-Homo, kodwa ukugqagqana kwamanye ama-hominins afana ne-Paranthropus futhi manje lawa mazinyo amabili aphakamisa ukuthi u-Homo kwakungeyena yedwa owazi kahle ukwenza amathuluzi abasize bakhulise ukudla kwabo.
Yebo, abakhi bangempela balawa mathuluzi abasoze baziwa, nanoma yiziphi izimangalo ezimayelana nobunikazi babo ezingase zibhekwe kakhulu abanye ososayensi noma ngokutholwa okusha.
“Sekuyisikhathi eside kucatshangwa abacwaningi ukuthi uhlobo lwe-Homo kuphela, abantu abangakubo, olwalukwazi ukwenza amathuluzi amatshe,” kusho uPotts. "Kodwa ukuthola i-Paranthropus eceleni kwala mathuluzi amatshe kuvula i-whodunnit ethakazelisayo."
Ucwaningo luye lwashicilelwa ku Isayensi.
