Kucala kwe Mihome yase Sterkfontein
Leyatiwa Kakhulu iPalaeontogical
Ngaphambi ibe nguleyatiwa kakhulu iPalaeontological yangaphandle/ngaphesheya, lamihome yase Sterkfontein yasala ivalekile futsi ingatiwa, beyifihlekile ngaphansi kwemhlaba welipulazi iSwartkrans Emfuleni we Bloukrans lapho Kwacala khona Inhloboyebantfu. Ngaleso sikhatsi, bekute lokungakanani lobekungachaza lesigodzi ngaphandle kwebafuyi labalele ngisho nalabasetulu kwabo/lebebatinhloko takhona bebalele. Kepha tintfo beseticala kugucuka imphilo yonkhe ngenca yekutsi besekukhona ligolide etintsabeni tabo.
Umbhalo wekucala waleligolide kule Witwatersrand wefika ngemnyaka wa 1852 lapho khona imineralogist lebitwa nga John Henry Davis yapota ngaleyakutfola kulelipulazi iPaardekraal (lekwatsi muva yabese iba yi Krugersdorp kwaphindze kwatsi muva yaba Lidolobha iMogale). Umnyaka lowalandzela, Pieter Jacob Marais (Lowabangumhloli wekucala weligolide lase Ningizimu Afrika ye Bantfu) waphindze watfola ligolide ku Jukskei nakuMfula weTingwenya, lekuyinyakatfo ye Ligoli lelikhona-nalamuhla. Kepha noma atfola lomcebo lobowungatiwa lowawufihlakele ngaphansi kwemhlaba, lomkhulu ngoba lwati lwalutsi ligolide latfolakala emifuleni.
Ngemnyaka wa 1874, Henry Lewis waphindze watfola ligolide kuya ngasetindzaweni letiseceleni kwemfula iBlaaubank dvute naloko bekutoba lidolobha lase Magaliesberg kanye Nenkampani iNil Desperandum Co-operative Quartz leyasheshe yaphelelwa – inkampani yekugubha ligolide lekucala leyatfola umsebenti eWitwatersrand. Kwatsi, nga 1881, intsatjana lencane yatfolakala eKromdraai eKucaleni futsi, kwatsi eminyakeni lemmbalwa, Lenkampani Yekugubha Ligolide lese Kromdraai yasungulwa kwatsi incenye yalelipulazi yabeka kugubha lokungentiwa bantfu.
Intsatjana Lenguyona
Ngemnyaka wa 1886, Lentsatjana Lenguyonna yaseyitfolakele futsi lelinani leligolide lelaliphuma eBlaaubank nase Kromdraai alizange libukeka libhadaleka futsi, nga 1912, kugujwa kweligolide kulendzawo Yekucala/Yekwakheka yase inciphile ngalo 1912. Namuhla, lendzawo yekugubha ligolide iBlaaubank ne Kromdraai tivulwe bantfu futsi tingavakashelwa.
Kepha kugubha kulendzawo kwachubeka kwaba nesisindvo lesikhulu kulesiCalelo ngoba, ngisho nangabe lamatje lamakhulu abengatfwalanga ligolide, abekadze aphetse lutfo lolwaludzingwa ngulabo lebebasebenta ngale mayini lenkhulu yase Witwatersrand: ilime, iesidi lecinile, ilime yayisetjentiswa ekwakhiweni kwasemende, kantsi Emahlatsini eMacArthur kuchubeka kwekutsatfwa kweligolide, lapho belingakhombisa kucina kwe esidi icyanide leyasetjentiswa kudvweba tintfo letincane teligolide lelihle letatiphuma kulamatje lakhokha leligolide.
Ngenhlanhla, incumbi yalemihome kulendzawo ye Sicalelo itfwele inombolo lenkhulu yalama limestone, lebekungashisiswa kule kulns kwentela kukhokha ilime lengakavutfwa yalamamayini. Loku kwanika lendzawo litfuba lesibili lekuchakata kantsi, ngalelinye lilanga ngemnyaka wa 1896, sisebenti se lime lesisabitwa nga Guglielmo Martinaglia wavula indlela emhomebi lowawubitwa nge Kromdraai.
Imihome yase Kromdraai
Eminyakeni leyalandzela, Lemihome yase Kromdraai (lekwatsi muva yabitwa nge Sterkfontein) kanya naleminye imihome kulendzawo yachutjekwa yagutjwa kwentelwa ilimestone. Tincumbi tematje lamakhulu nato tatfolwa kulomhome tase tiyashiswa ngale lime kulns, kubulawa incumbi yema fossil kulomsebenti. Lowabawekucala kulomsebenti yi pioneering geologist lobekatiwa ngekutsi ngu David Draper, lowabika kutsi lamihome yase Kromdraai bekayintfo lelungele lekahle kakhulu futsi kwakumele kutsi ivikeleke kulabo labagubhako. Ngekubonga, kukhona loweva kwase kushaya kuyamiswa kulesicheme lesikhulu sase Sterkfontein kwentela kuvikela lemihome letsandvwako kanye nalemvelaphi lenguyona lengaphansi kwelichibi. Nomakunjalo, kugubha kwachubeka etindzaweni letinye iminyaka leminingi. Namuhla, mawuvakashela lemihome, ubona ematje lancama labheke phansi lashiywa ngulabo bebagubha beminyaka yakadzeni.
Kugubha Lokubekiwe kwe Archaeological
Ngisho nangesikhatsi kugubha kusachubeka, bantfu besebacale kunaka kutsi incenye yetilwane noma titjalo lebetifile lebetiphuma kulemihome kantsi nalomnikati walendzawo, uMnumzane Cooper, waphindze wavula indlwana lencane yelitiya lapho bekatsengisa tinshwana letincane, iguano kanye netintfo letincane kubavakashi. Ngemnyaka wa 1935, Trevor Jones watfola tintfo letincane tetingobiyane lebetifile kulemihome manje loko kwatsintsa inkhaphunkhaphu ya GWH Scheepers na H le Riche, lowabese watiswa lowatiwako ngekutingela tintfo lesetafa letincane Robert Broom. Kwatsi ngesikhatsi Broom avakashela lomhome nga 1936, washeshe wabona lesisindvo sale Palaeontological yalendzawo wase utjela lomphatsi wekugubha kutsi anake tintfo letingabatincane letifile. Loku kwachubela ekutfolweni kwetintfo letibalulekile letincane lebesetifile futsi, nga 1947, lokutfolwa kwekubhalwakwendzawo nga Medemu Ples.
Kepha, ngaphandle kwetintfo letatifile letiningi letatfolwa kulendzawo, iSterkfontein yachubeka yaba yindzawo yekugubha leyatiwako, kantsi nekufa kwa Robert Broom ngemnyaka wa 1951 kwasusa umsinjwanyana ngalemihome. Ngaleso sikhatsi, kwakukhona kushoda kwetimmali kantsi naHulumende weSive abekhombise kungavumbi lokwaviwa bantfu bonkhe bentfutfuko. Njengemphumela, lemihome yaba yintfo yemoribund. Kwaba ngenca yemandla aPhillip Tobias we Nyuvesi yase Witwatersrand kutsi lemihome igcinwe ivuliwe, futsi nga 1966, umndeni waka Stegmann wanikela lendzawo ku Nyuvesi yase Witwatersrand kwentela kutsi batise ngetintfo tabo.
Indzawo Lenotsile ye Malunga Emndeni
iNyuvesi yase Wits, lenanamuhla isenemhlaba/indzawo, yavula umsamo lomncane yase ikhomba Alun Hughes njengemnakekeli wekucala walendzawo (lowaphumeleliswa ngu Ron Clarke nga 1992). Kwase ke kucala kugubha lokudze kwemhlaba endzaweni yalamalunga alomndeni. Kuzekube ngunyalo, iSterkfontein ikhulile ngemindeni lengetulu kwemakhulu lasikhombisa etandleni te Palaeo- anthropologists lenenkhaphunkhaphu, lekuyenta indzawo lenotse kakhulu emhlabeni. Kungumanje, letintfo letifile letatfolwa ngu Broom na Robinson tibanjwe eMsamo wase Transvaal, tibe leto letatfolwa ngu Tobias, Hughes na Clarke tibanjwe eWits. Munye utsemba kutsi ngalelinye lilanga titotfola indlela lebuyela emuva eSterfontein lapho tingaboniswa ngalokuphephile esiveni.
Translated by Phindile Malotana
