Ukuqala kwe Miqolomba Yase Sterkfontein

iPalaeontological Icon

©Jacques Marais

Ngaphambi kokuba yaziwe lihlabathi liphela njenge Palaeontological, Imiqolomba yase Sterkfontein yayigqumekile kungekho bani waziyo ngayo. Yayingaphantsi kwe fama ebizwa nge Swartkrans ngase mlanjeni we Bloukrans kwi Cradle of Humankind. Ngelo xesha, kwakungeka bikho nto inika umdla kulo mmandla ngaphandle kwama fama angathangani kunye nemfuyo yawo engathangani. Kodwa izinto zaqala ukutshintsha ngonaphakade kuba kwafunyanwa igolide kule ndawo.
Iingxelo zokuqala ezithembakeleyo zokufunyanwa kwe golide eWitwatersrand zafika ngomnyaka ka 1852, ngethuba ingcali ngeze minerali (mineralogist) egama lingu
John Henry Davis wenza ingxelo ngokufumana igolide kwifama iPaardekraal (neyaye yabayi Krugersdorp ekuhambeni kwe thuba, neyaye yaba yi Mogale City ekuhambeni kwethuba). Kunyaka olandelayo uPieter Jacob Marais (i-prospector yokuqala ye golide kwi Republic yoMzantsi Afrika) naye wafumana igolide kwimilambo ye Jukskei kunye ne Crocodile, emntla kwendawo ebizwa nge Joburg namhlanje.
Kodwa akukho namnye kubo owaye wafumana ubutyebi (treasure) obufihlakele emathunjini omhlaba, oku kwaku ngenxa yokuba igolide yayisaziwa njengefumaneka emilanjeni kuphela. Ngomnyaka ka 1874, no Henry Lewis wafumana igolide ngasemlambo obizwa nge Blaaubank, kufutsahne nedolophu esele ibizwa nge Magaliesberg namhlanje. Kanye emva koko kwaqalwa inkampani egama liyi Nil Desperandum Co-operative Quartz Company – Inkampani yegolide yokuqala ukuxakeka kwindawo yase Witwatersrand.
Kwaze ngomnyaka ka 1881, kwaphinda kwafunyanywa enye igolide eKromdraai ngaphakathi kwi Cradle. Kwiminyaka elandela oko kwasekwa inkampani egama liyi Kromdraai Gold Mining Company, yaze inxalenye yale fama yabhengezwa njenge ndawo yokomba igolide yesizwe.

iMain Reef

©David Fleminger

Kwathi kuba ngumnyaka ka 1886, iMain Reef yayisele ifunyenwe kwaye umlinganiselo we golide ophuma e Blaaubank kunye nase Kromdraai yayingenzi ngeniso yaneleyo. Kwathi kufika umnyaka ka 1912 ukwembiwa kwe golide kule Cradle kwabe sele kuphelile. Namhlanje, yomibini imigodi emidala yegolide yase Blaaubank kunye ne Kromdraai ivulelekile ku wonke- wonke ukuba angaya kuyityelela.
Kodwa ukwembiwa kwegolide kwaqhubeka nokuba negalelo elikhulu kwi Cradle, kuba nangona amatye ayengaqulathanga golide, ayenento edingekayo kwezombiwo migodi lwendawo yase
Witwatersrand: le ke yi lime. Le lime yintlobo ethile ye alkaline esetyenziswa ekuveliseni isamente. Yayisetyenziswa nasekuthatyathweni kwe golide yinkampani iMacArthur-Forrest, nalapho yayisetyenziswa ukuhlukanisa igolide ematyeni.
Ngethamsanqa uninzi lwe miqolomba kwi Cradle yayiqulathe isixa se limestone, neyayi tshiswa kwii kilns ukuvelisa ilime ekrwada enokusetyenziswa emigodini. Oku kwanika le ngingqi ithuba lokuphuhla, kwaye ngaminazana ithile ngomnyaka ka 1896, umsebenzi nge lime ogama lingu Guglielmo Martinaglia wagqobozela kumqolomba owaye wathiywa nge Kromdraai.

Imiqolomba yeKromdraai

©Roger de la Harpe

Kwiminyaka elandela oko, imiqolomba ye Kromdraai (neyahamba yabizwa nge Sterkfontein) kunye neminye imiqolomba emininzi ekule ngingqi yombiwa kanobomi, isombelwa eli litye le lime. Izigaqa ezikhulu zamatye zagrunjwa zikhutshwa kwimiqolomba zaze zatshiswa kwii lime kilns. Esi senzo satshabalalisa iifosili ezininzi zexabiso.
Umntu wokuqala ukuphikisana noku yaba yingcali ngezokumila komhlaba ( geologist) ogama lingu David Draper, nowenza ingxelo yokuba imiqolomba yeKromdraai ingaba negalelo kweze geology ngoko ke kufuneka ikhuselwe kubembi migodi. Ngethamsanqa, wamameleka kwaze ukugqojozwa kwemiqolomba kwapheliswa kowona mngxuma umkhulu eSterkfontein.
Konke oku kwakusenzelwa ukukhusela imiqolomba emihle ekulendawo kunye nechibi elihle eliphantsi komhlaba. Kodwa ke, ukwembiwa kwemigodi kwaqhubeka kwezinye iindawo kangange sithuba seqela lamashumi eminyaka. Namhlanje xa utyelela le miqolomba uzakubona iqela le lemiqolomba eyonakaliswe ngabembi be lime aba besebenza kule ndawo.

Unobumba Wokwembiwa Oku Archaeological

Nangethuba ukombiwa kwemigodi kwaku saqhubeka, abantu baqala ukuqaphela iifosili ezaziphuma kule miqolomba. Umnini wale fama, uMnu. Cooper wade wavula ne gunjana elincinane le ti nalapho wayethengisa amaqhekeza kunye neefosili kubatyeleli abanomdla. Ngomnyaka ka 1935, uTrevor Jones wafumana amathambo emfene akudala emqolombeni.
Oku kwenyusa umdla ka GWH Scheepers kunye no H le Riche, nabaye bachazela umzingeli we fosili owaziwayo owayegama lingu Robert Broom. Wathi akufika kule miqolomba lo ka Broom ngomnyaka ka 1936, wakhawuleza wabona ixabiso le Palaeontological kwesi siza, wabe sele ecela umphathi wale ndawo ukuba aze abe liliso nakwezinye iifosili / amathambo akudala anokuthi aphinde avele. Oku kwakhokelela ekufunyanweni kwee fosili ezibalulekileyo ze hominid fossils. Ngomnyaka ka 1947 kwafunyanwa eyona ibalulekileyo ka Nkskz. Ples.
Kodwa nangona kwafunyanwa iqela leefosili ezikhethekileyo kule ngingqi, iSterkfontein yayise ngunobumba wokwembiwa kwe archaelogy. Ukufa kuka Robert Broom ngomnyaka ka 1951 kwaqala ingxakana kule miqolomba. Ngelo xesha, kwakunqongophele nemali kwaye no rhulumente welo xesha waye ngakuxhasi ncam oku kwembiwa.
Oku kwenza ukuba le miqolomba ivalwe. Yaba ziinzame zika Philip Tobias we Dyunivesithi yase Witwatersr ezenza ukuba lemiqolomba iphinde ivulwe. Ngomnyaka ka 1966 usapho lwakwa Stegmann lwanikela ngesi siza kule Dyunivesithi yase Witwatersrand ukuze benze umsebenzi wabo ngokuse sikweni.

Esona Siza Sityebileyo Ehlabathini seHominid

iDyunivesithi yase Wits, nesene bango lalo mhlaba nanamhlanje, yakhawuleza yavula umuziyamu encinane yaze yabeka u Alun Hughes njengomphathi wesi siza sokuqala (wabe sele elandelwa ngu Ron Clarke ngomnyaka ka 1992). Kwabe kuqala kanjalo ukwembiwa kwamathambo akudala nokukokona kuthabathe ixesha elide kwihlabathi liphela. Ukuzokuthi gaa ngoku, eSterkfontein sele kombiwe 700 yee hominid fossils.
Oku kuyenza le ndawo ibe yeyona Ezi fossili zonke zombiwa phantsi kolawulo lwe Palaeo-anthropologists ezizi miseleyo ngalendawo. Oku kuyenza lendawo ibe sesona siza se hominid sityebileyo. Ngoku, iifosili ezafunyanwa ngu Broom kunye no Robinson zigcinwe kwi Muziyamu yase Transvaal, logama iifosili ezafunyanwa ngu Tobias, Hughes kunye no Clarke zigcinwe eWits. Ngethemba lokuba ngenye imini zizakubuyiselwa eSterkfontein nalapho zizakudweliswa ukuze zibukwe luluntu.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana