U"MRS. PLES": ISIZALWANA SETHU  

By Dr Francis Thackeray

Curator (Research): Human Origins and Past Environments
Transvaal Museum

Yayingubani u"Mrs.Ples"?

U"Mrs.Ples"sisiteketiso samathambo entloko acingelwa sisininzi sabenzululwazi , ukuba sisibonisa isizalwane soluntu lonke luphelele.

Amathambo entloko ka"Mrs.Ples" afunyanwe eSterkfontein, ngaseKrugersdorp, ngomhla we 18 April, 1947. Safunyanwa nguDr. Robert Broom weTransvaal Museum, kunye nesekela lakhe, uJohn Robinson.

U"Mrs. Ples"  uhlale emazantsi eAfrika malunga ne 2.5 million years ago. La mathambo entloko ngawona akhe aphelela kuzo zonke iiAustralopithecus africanus. Kudala  lamathambo ebesaziwa njenge"Plesianthropus" okuthetha "phantse yangumntu". U"Mrs.Ples" uphantse wangumntu kuba ebehamba emile njengabantu, kodwa ubuchopho bakhe bubuncinane, phantse yalingana neye chimpanzee yalemihla.

Abenzululwazi bakholwa ukuba abantu neechimpanzee banesinyanya esinye, esihlale eAfrika iimillion ezininzi zeminyaka edlulileyo. Njengesizalwana soluntu lonke, u"Mrs.Ples" uzalana kakhulu nabantu kuneechimpanzee.

 Yayingobani iiaustralopithecine? 

UAustralopithecus africanus ligama lesinzululwazi labantu abafana neemfene abahlale eAfrika malunga ne 2.5 kunyene 3  million yeminyaka edlululeyo. Amathambo okuqala kweliqela, afunyanwe ngo 1924 eTaung malunga ne120 kilometres emantla eKimberly, achazwe ngu Professor Raymond Dart we University yase Witwatersrand. Ukusukela ku 1936 ukuya kufika ku 1960, amanye amathambo amaninzi eliqela afunyenwe eSterkfontein ngu Dr. Robert Broom kunye no Dr. John Robinson. Kodwa eminye imizekelo ye Australopithecus africanus iye yaphinda yafunyanwa nguProfessor P.V. Tobias kunye nabo asebenza nabo kwiUniversity yaseWitwatersrand, kunye nomfi uAlan Hughes no Dr. Ron Clarke. EnoStephen Motsumi noNkwane Molefe, uDr. Clarke basondula ukufumana amathambo apheleleyo weAustralopithecus kwii cave deposits ezineminyaka e 3,3 million ubudala.

Elinye iqela le Australopithecus libizwa Australopithecus robustus. Umzekelo wokuqala weliqela lafunyanwa ngumfana wesikolo ngo 1938 eKromdraai, apho uFrancis Thackery we Transvaal Museum asebenza khona. Imizekelo emininzi yeliqela ikhe yafunyanwa eSwartkrans nguDr. Bob Brain, owaseyakuba ngumphathi weTransvaal Museum, kunye naseDrimolen zinyulwe nguDr. Andre Keyser.Ii "robust" australopithecine bezinamazinyo amakhulu, kunye nobuso obukhulu nbubaxa. Baphile ukusuka kwi 2.0 ukuya kwi 1.5 million yeminyaka edlulileyo, kwingingqi yaseSterkfontein, kwaye babefana nelinye iqele, elibizwa Australopithecus bosei , elifunyanwe eMpuma-Afrika.

Ibingobani oHomo habilis, Homo erectus kunye noHomo ergaster ?

UHomo habilis ligama lelinye iqela leehominids ezihlale eAfrika malunga ne 1.8 million yeminyaka edlulileyo. Iyakholwa ukuba sisinyanya se Homo erectus, iqela elaziwa njengelo lithe lenza izikhali zamatye ezibizwa ii hand-axes malunga ne 1 million yeminyaka edlulileyo. UHomo erectus kuyaziwa ukuba uhlalile eAsia. Okufana nayo eAfrika nguHomo ergaster.

Emzantsi Afrika, uHomo ergaster wenze izikhali zamatye, kwaye engekwanayo nendlela yokusebenzisa umlilo malunga ne 1.5 kunye ne 1 million yeminyaka edlulileyo. Ukusebenziswa komlilo, kwenza ukuba iihominids ezi zikwazi ukuphepha kwiileopards. Ezinye iihominids bezihlaselwa ziileopards.

U Homo ergaster no Australopithecus robustus babe omnivorous. Babesitya izityalo kunye nenyama. Izityalo ezityekayo bezibandakanya iziqhamo kunye neengcambu zezityalo ezifana ne Hypoxis ebezihlakulwa ngezikhali zamathambo. Izikhali zamathambo bezisetyenziswa ekuvuleni imingxuma kwiinduli ze termites.