IScotland iyizwe elicwile emfihlakalo nomlando wasendulo, futhi enye yezinsalela ezithakazelisa kakhulu zalesi sikhathi esidlule ingatholakala esiqhingini saseHoy. Lapha, kulesi siqhingi esivunguzayo nesixakile, kumi ithuna eliqoshwe amadwala elineminyaka engu-5,000 XNUMX elaziwa ngokuthi “i-Dwarfie Stane.” Njengoba siqoshwe ngokuphelele ocezwini olulodwa lwetshe lesanti ebomvu, lesi sakhiwo esikhulu siye sadida abavubukuli nezazi-mlando amakhulu eminyaka. Naphezu kocwaningo olunzulu, akekho owazi ngokuqinisekile ukuthi ubani owadala leli thuna eliyimfihlakalo noma ukuthi yayiyini injongo yalo ekuqaleni.
Leli tshe elikhulu liwunxande wemvelo owenziwe ngetshe lesanti elibomvu elidala lase-Devoni. Yabekwa lapho ngokwemvelo eminyakeni eyizigidi edlule, futhi ezinye zezakhamuzi zasendulo zaseHoy zaziyibheka njengendawo ekahle yethuna. Leli tshe laziwa ngokuthi i-glacial erratic, okusho ukuthi lalinyakaziswa yiqhwa futhi lihlukile kumadwala atholakala endaweni. Yingakho igqama phakathi kwe-landscape.
Ngokusekelwe emathuneni afanayo atholakala esifundeni saseMedithera, ochwepheshe balinganisele ukuthi: phakathi kwe-Neolithic kanye Nenkathi Yokuqala Ye-Bronze, cishe cishe ngo-3,000 BC, igumbi lagejwa ngaphandle.
Yini eyenza leli slab elikhulu lihluke kangaka? Othile wake wavala i-"Dwarfie Stane" esebenzisa amathuluzi ambalwa ayisisekelo, ukuphikelela, namandla amaningi omzimba.
I-slab yetshe ifinyelela kumamitha angu-2.5 (8.2 amafidi) ukuphakama futhi ilinganisa cishe amamitha angu-8.5 (28 amafidi) ubude namamitha angu-4 (13 amafidi) ububanzi. Ubuso betshe obungasentshonalanga babunomnyango oyisikwele esiyimitha elilodwa (1 ft) futhi ungena ekamelweni elingaphakathi.
Uma eyibona, umuntu angashalazela kalula nje ukuthi iyithuna elinekamelo. Kolunye lwezinhlangothi zalo ezibanzi, kunomnyango omncane oqoshwe ngesandla - isikwele esiyimitha elingu-1 (3.3 ft), ovuleleka endaweni encane kakhulu ethuneni. Ukusuka emnyango kunephaseji elincane, elingamamitha angu-2.2 ubude, elinamaseli amabili emaceleni. Amaseli akala cishe amamitha angu-7.2 ngemitha elingu-1.7 (1 ft ngo-5.6 ft). Ukuphakama kosilingi kuyimitha nje elingu-3.3 (1 ft), okusho ukuthi noma ubani ongena kuzo kufanele aguqe ngamadolo noma agobe ngempela.
Naphezu kocwaningo oluningi, ukuthi ungubani umuntu owangcwatshwa kulelithuna eliyingqayizivele kuseyimpicabadala kuze kube namuhla. Indawo engaphakathi kwethuna yaklanywa ngobunono ngesineke esikhulu nangokunemba, okwaphumela ezinhlangothini ezibushelelezi ezinemifantu ecashile nemisele endaweni lapho umufi ayeyobekwa khona.
Ingqamuzana elingakwesokudla lize libe “nomcamelo” wakudala owenziwe ngocezu lwetshe olungasikiwe olusekupheleni kwawo. Kusobala ukuthi abakhi balelithuna babonisa ukucophelela okukhulu nokunaka imininingwane ngesikhathi lidalwa. Kodwa-ke, umsebenzi ubuzoba nzima ngendlela emangalisayo njengoba i-Old Sandstone Ebomvu, eyasetshenziswa njengempahla yokwakha, ichazwe njengeminyene kakhulu futhi iqinile. Ngaphezu kwalokho, okuwukuphela kwamathuluzi ayetholakala kubakhi ayenziwe ngezimpondo zamatshe nezinyamazane. Leli qiniso lenza ukudalwa kwe-Dwarfie Stane umsebenzi omangalisayo!
I-Dwarfie Stane ingene shí ezinganekwaneni eziningi zezinganekwane. Njengoba umuntu engase acabangele egameni, inganekwane yendawo edumile ithi itshe laliyindawo yokuhlala yomuntu omncane owaziwa ngokuthi i-Trollid. Zombili “izindawo zokulala,” ezincane kakhulu kumuntu onobude obuyinqaba, ziyindaba yezinganekwane eziningi mayelana nama-dwarfs, futhi lezi zinganekwane zasendulo kuthiwa zizungeze indawo.
Enye inganekwane isikisela ukuthi ithuna lakhiwa imidondoshiya. Nokho, iqiniso lincane kakhulu ekucabangeni; ngokusho kososayensi, lesi sakhiwo empeleni sakhiwe abahlali baseNeolithic base-Orkney.
Iminyaka yethuna ilinganiselwa eminyakeni engu-3,000 XNUMX noma ngaphezulu. Kwakungenxa yokuthi kwakungubani akwaziwa, mhlawumbe isikhulu sasendulo sase-Hoy - noma umholi we-Bronze Age wezizwe zendawo. Lapho umufi esefakwe ngaphakathi, ithuna lalivalwa ngocwecwe olukhulu oluyisikwele, manje olungaphambi kwedwala.
Ngeshwa, esikhathini esithile phakathi namakhulu eminyaka, ithuna lalintshontshelwa abaphangi bamathuna. Kunokuba basuse i-sleb esindayo, bakhetha ukusika igebe ophahleni lwethuna futhi baphanga noma iyiphi ingcebo engaphakathi. Imbobo ophahleni selokhu yalungiswa ezikhathini zamuva nje.
Inganekwane endala ye-Orcadian ithi umdondoshiya nomkakhe badala i-Dwarfie Stane. Umbhangqwana omkhulu waboshwa ngaphakathi kwetshe umdondoshiya wesithathu owayefisa ukuba umbusi wesiqhingi saseHoy. Nokho, amaqhinga akhe anonya ashabalala lapho umdondoshiya owayeboshiwe ekwazi ukuphunyuka ophahleni lwegumbi.
Ubulula be-Dwarfie Stane bufihla ukuhluka kwayo kwangempela. Esinye isici esithakazelisayo ukufana kwayo namathuna aseNingizimu Yurophu, eMedithera. Izazi eziningi zasikisela ukuthi lokhu kuwumzamo “wokulingisa” amathuna aseMedithera, kodwa le mbono iye yachithwa.
Kuvunyelwene ngokuthi ithuna elokugqugquzelwa kwendawo, futhi abukho ubufakazi bokuthi linokuxhumana okuqondile namathuna ohlobo lwaseMedithera. Noma kunjalo, i-Dwarfie Stane ibhekwa njengesibonelo kuphela sethuna le-Neolithic rock-cut kulo lonke elaseBrithani. Leli qiniso lilodwa lenza lihluke kakhulu.
Noma kunjalo, naphezu kwalokhu kuhluka, i-Dwarfie Stane isahambisana nohlobo lwe-Orkney-Cromarty lwamathuna anamagumbi atholakala e-Orkney. Kodwa wonke amanye amathuna enziwe ngamatshe amaningi anqwabelene, kunokuba aqoshwe ocwecweni lwetshe olulodwa njengalapha.
I-Dwarfie Stane ibilokhu iheha abantu abaningi esifundeni. Phakathi namakhulu eminyaka izivakashi eziningi zaqopha imidwebo engahluziwe, embalwa yayo engafundwa nanamuhla. Isivakashi esiphawulekayo kwakunguKaputeni uWilliam Mounsey, owavakashela ngo-1850 futhi washiya umbhalo ngesiPheresiya: “Ngihlale ubusuku obubili futhi ngafunda ukubekezela.”
Sengiphetha, i-Dwarfie Stane e-Enchanted Island of Hoy iyisiqephu somlando esithakazelisayo esithathe imicabango yabantu abaningi eminyakeni edlule. Naphezu kokubukeka kwayo okulula, inokubaluleka okukhulu njengethuna le-rock-cut leminyaka engu-5,000 futhi njengobufakazi kubantu be-Stone Age abake bahlala e-Orkney.
