Impucuko yaseGibhithe lasendulo yaziwa kakhulu ngomlando wayo ocebile, izakhiwo, namasiko. Yayidume futhi ngobuqhawe bayo kwezempi kanye nokusebenzisa kwayo izikhali eziyingqayizivele. Phakathi kwalokhu, inkemba yamaKhopesh igqama njengesikhali esingokomfanekiso esasiza ekulolongeni umlando weGibhithe Lasendulo. Lenkemba egobile ngendlela eyinqaba yayiyisikhali esasikhethwa amaqhawe amaningi aseGibhithe, kuhlanganise noRamses III noTutankhamun. Kwakungesona nje isikhali esibulalayo, kodwa futhi kwakuwuphawu lwamandla nodumo. Kulesi sihloko, sizojula ngomlando nokubaluleka kwenkemba yamaKhopesh, sihlole ukwakheka kwayo, ukwakhiwa, kanye nomthelela eyaba nayo ezimpini zaseGibhithe lasendulo.
Umlando omfushane wezimpi zaseGibhithe lasendulo
IGibhithe lasendulo yaziwa ngomlando walo othakazelisayo, kusukela ekwakhiweni kwemibhoshongo kuya ekukhuphukeni nasekuweni koFaro abanamandla. Kodwa isici somlando wabo esivame ukunganakwa impi yabo. IGibhithe lasendulo laliwumbuso onamandla, futhi amasosha awo adlala indima ebalulekile ekuwagcineni enjalo. AmaGibhithe asendulo ayengamaqhawe anekhono ngempela ayesebenzisa izikhali ezihlukahlukene, kuhlanganise neminsalo nemicibisholo, imikhonto nemibese. Ngaphezu kwalezi zikhali, baphinde basebenzisa isikhali esiyingqayizivele nesiwuphawu olubizwa ngokuthi inkemba yamaKhopesh.
Lesi sikhali esinamandla kwakuyinkemba egobile enamathiselwe njengehhuku ekugcineni, okusenza sibe isikhali esisebenza ngezindlela eziningi esingasetshenziselwa ukusika nokuhuka. AbaseGibhithe lasendulo babeyisebenzisa lenkemba lapho belwa eduze, futhi yayiphumelela ngokukhethekile ezitheni ezazihlome ngezihlangu. Abantu baseGibhithe lasendulo babaziwa ngamasu abo kanye nokuhleleka kwabo empini, futhi ukusebenzisa kwabo inkemba yamaKhopesh kwakuyisibonelo esisodwa sobuqhawe babo kwezempi. Nakuba impi iyisici esinodlame emlandweni, iyingxenye ebalulekile yokuqonda amasiko asendulo nemiphakathi eyakhile.
Umsuka wenkemba kaKhopesh?
Inkemba yamaKhopesh kukholakala ukuthi yavela eNkathini Yethusi Ephakathi, cishe ngo-1800 BCE, futhi yayisetshenziswa abaseGibhithe lasendulo iminyaka engaphezu kwenkulungwane. Nakuba umsuka wangempela wenkemba yamaKhopesh ugubuzelwe yimfihlakalo, kukholakala ukuthi yasungulwa kusukela ezizikhalini zangaphambili, njengezinkemba ze-sikela, ezasungulwa eMesophothamiya ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yesibili BC. Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-Stele of the Vultures, eyango-2 BC, ibonisa inkosi yaseSumeri, u-Eanatum waseLagash, ephethe lokho okubonakala kuyinkemba emise okwesikela.
Inkemba yeKhopesh ekuqaleni yayisetshenziswa njengesikhali sempi, kodwa ngokushesha yaba uphawu lwamandla negunya. OFaro kanye nezinye izikhulu eziphezulu zazivame ukuvezwa bephethe inkemba yamaKhopesh ezandleni zabo, futhi yayisetshenziswa nasemicimbini yemikhosi kanye nezenkolo. Inkemba yamaKhopesh nayo yadlala indima ebalulekile ezimpini eziningi ezidumile, okuhlanganisa nempi yaseKadeshi, eyaliwa phakathi kwabaseGibhithe namaHeti ngo-1274 BCE. Ngakho-ke, inkemba yamaKhopesh iba yingxenye ebalulekile yesiko laseGibhithe lasendulo futhi iyaqhubeka nokuthakazelisa izazi-mlando kanye nabashisekeli ngokufanayo, nanamuhla.
Ukwakhiwa kanye nomklamo wenkemba yamaKhopesh
Inkemba ye-Khopesh eyisakhiwo sodumo inomklamo oyingqayizivele oyihlukanisa nezinye izinkemba zangaleso sikhathi. Inkemba inenkemba emise okwesikela egobela ngaphakathi, okuyenza ilungele ukusika nokusika. Ekuqaleni inkemba yayenziwe ngethusi, kodwa izinguqulo zakamuva zenziwa ngensimbi. Umphini wenkemba kaKhopesh nawo uhlukile. Iqukethe isibambo esigobile njengensingo, kanye nesiphambano esiza ukugcina inkemba ezandleni zomuntu oyisebenzisayo.
Ezinye izinkemba ze-Khopesh nazo zazine-pommel ekugcineni kwesibambo esingasetshenziswa njengesikhali esinamandla esibuthuntu. Ukwakhiwa kwenkemba yamaKhopesh kwenziwa ngabakhandi bensimbi baseGibhithe lasendulo ababenekhono emsebenzini wensimbi. I-blade yayakhiwe ngensimbi eyodwa, eyayishiswa bese igxotshwa ngesando. Umkhiqizo wokugcina wabe usulola futhi uphucuziwe.
Ukwakhiwa kwenkemba yamaKhopesh kwakungeyona nje into ephathekayo kodwa futhi ingokomfanekiso. I-blade egobile yayihloselwe ukumelela inyanga ecwebezelayo, eyayiwuphawu lukankulunkulukazi wempi waseGibhithe, uSekhmet. Ngezinye izikhathi inkemba yayihlotshiswe ngemidwebo nemihlobiso eyinkimbinkimbi, eyayinezela ebuhleni bayo. Sengiphetha, umklamo oyingqayizivele wenkemba yamaKhopesh kanye namasu okwakha ayenza yaba ithuluzi eliphumelelayo lempi, futhi uphawu lwayo lwengeza ukubaluleka kwamasiko emlandweni waseGibhithe lasendulo.
Umthelela wenkemba yamaKhopesh aseGibhithe kweminye imiphakathi namasiko
Phakathi nekhulu lesi-6 BC, amaGreki athatha inkemba enenkemba egobile, eyaziwa ngokuthi i-machaira noma i-kopis, abanye ochwepheshe abakholelwa ukuthi yayithonywe inkemba ye-kholopesh yaseGibhithe. AmaHeti, ayeyizitha zabaseGibhithe ngeNkathi Yethusi, asebenzisa nezinkemba ezinemiklamo efanayo neye-kholopesh, kodwa akuqinisekwa ukuthi lo mklamo awuboleka eGibhithe noma eMesophothamiya ngokuqondile.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, kuye kwatholakala izinkemba ezigobile ezifana nekhopesh empumalanga nasenkabeni ye-Afrika, ikakhulukazi ezindaweni manje ezihlanganisa iRwanda neBurundi, lapho kwakusetshenziswa khona izikhali ezinjengomnkemba ezifana namasikela. Akwaziwa ukuthi la masiko okwenza ama-blade aphefumulelwe yi-Egypt noma uma umklamo wenkemba wadalwa ngokuzimela kulesi sifunda kuze kube manje eningizimu yeMesophothamiya.
Ezifundeni ezithile eziseningizimu ye-India nasezingxenyeni zaseNepal, kunezibonelo zenkemba noma inkemba efana ne-kopesh. Kuyathakazelisa ukuqaphela ukuthi amasiko e-Dravidian kulezi zindawo anokuxhumana neMesopotamiya, njengoba kufakazelwa ukuhweba kwempucuko yase-Indus Valley neMesophothamiya kusukela ku-3000 BC. Le mpucuko, okungenzeka ukuthi kwakuyi-Dravidian, yaba khona kwaze kwaba maphakathi nenkulungwane yesi-2 BC, okwakungaba isikhathi esifanele sokudluliselwa kwamasu okwenza inkemba afana ne-kholopesh ukusuka eMesopotamiya kuya empucukweni yaseDravidian.
Isiphetho: Ukubaluleka kwenkemba yamaKhopesh esikweni laseGibhithe lasendulo
Akungabazeki ukuthi inkemba kaKhopesh ingesinye sezikhali ezidume kakhulu emlandweni waseGibhithe. Kwakuyisikhali esibalulekile phakathi nenkathi yoMbuso Omdala futhi sasisetshenziswa amaqhawe aphakeme oFaro. Yenziwe ngethusi noma ngethusi noma ngensimbi, inkemba yayivame ukuhlotshiswa ngemiklamo eyinkimbinkimbi nemibhalo eqoshiwe.
Inkemba yamaKhopesh kwakungesona nje isikhali, kodwa futhi yayinokubaluleka okubalulekile kwamasiko nenkolo eGibhithe lasendulo. Kwakukholelwa ukuthi wawuwuphawu lwamandla, igunya, nesivikelo. Inkemba yayivame ukuvezwa ebucikweni baseGibhithe noma ifakwe emathuneni abantu baseGibhithe abavelele, futhi yayisetshenziswa ezimweni ezihlukahlukene zemikhosi.
OFaro nezinye izikhulu eziphakeme zazivame ukuvezwa bephethe inkemba yamaKhopesh ezandleni zabo, futhi yayisetshenziswa nasemikhosini yenkolo ehlanganisa iminikelo konkulunkulu. Inkemba yeKhopesh ingenye yezimpawu ezibonakala kakhulu zeGibhithe Lasendulo, futhi ukubaluleka kwayo kudlula ukusetshenziswa kwayo njengesikhali. Imele amandla negunya loFaro kanye nokubaluleka kwenkolo emasikweni aseGibhithe lasendulo.
