Ku Democratic Republic of Congo, anapeza chinthu china chakale chovuta kumvetsa chimene chadabwitsa akatswiri a mbiri yakale ndi masamu kwa zaka zambiri. Fupa la Ishango, lomwe linapezeka ku "Fisherman Settlement" ku Ishango, ndi chida cha fupa komanso chotheka cha masamu chomwe chinayambira ku Upper Paleolithic.
Fupa lakudali, lopindika limeneli, pafupifupi masentimita 10 m'litali, lili ndi chidutswa chakuthwa cha quartz chomangika kumapeto kumodzi, mwina pojambulapo.
Zozokota pa fupa la Ishango zatsogolera ku malingaliro osiyanasiyana ponena za tanthauzo lake. Ena amakhulupirira kuti akhoza kukhala ndi tanthauzo la masamu kapena zogwirizana ndi nyenyezi.
Fupa limasonyeza mndandanda wa zizindikiro m'zaza zitatu, zomwe ena amazimasulira ngati zizindikiro. Komabe, ena amatsutsa kuti zizindikirozi zinkagwiritsidwa ntchito powerengera kapena kuchita masamu osavuta.
Lingaliro lina ndiloti zozokotedwa pa fupa zimayimira kalendala yoyendera mwezi. Ndi mbiri yakale zaka 20,000, fupa la Ishango limatengedwa kuti ndi chimodzi mwa zida zakale kwambiri za masamu zomwe zimadziwika kwa anthu.
Fupa la Ishango linapezedwa mu 1950 ndi wofufuza wa ku Belgium Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt akufufuza dziko la Congo. Zinapezeka pakati pa mabwinja a anthu ndi zida zamwala, zomwe zikuwonetsa chitukuko chomwe chimakhala ndi usodzi ndi kusonkhana m'deralo.
Pulofesa de Heinzelin adabweretsa fupa la Ishango ku Belgium, komwe tsopano likusungidwa ku Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences ku Brussels. Zinthu zambirimbiri zinapangidwa kuti zisungidwe zosalimba.
Zaka za fupa la Ishango zakhala zotsutsana pakati pa akatswiri ofukula zinthu zakale. Poyamba akuti anali pakati pa 9,000 BC ndi 6,500 BC, tsopano akukhulupirira kuti ali ndi zaka pafupifupi 20,000. Komabe, kuphulika kwa mapiri pafupi ndi malowa kwachititsa kuti zikhale zovuta kudziwa tsiku lolondola.
Zolemba pa fupa la Ishango zachititsa chidwi akatswiri a masamu. Ena amakhulupirira kuti fupa limasonyeza kumvetsetsa kwa decimals kapena manambala oyambirira. Ena amati chinali chida chowerengera pogwiritsa ntchito manambala oyambira 12.
Katswiri wina wa maphunziro a anthu, dzina lake Caleb Everett, ananena kuti mwina fupali ankaligwiritsa ntchito powerengera, kuchulutsa, komanso powerengera manambala. Panthawiyi, katswiri wofukula za m’mabwinja, dzina lake Alexander Marshack, ananena kuti zolembazo zikuimira kalendala yoyendera mwezi wa miyezi isanu ndi umodzi.
Ngakhale kutanthauzira kosiyanasiyana, pali malingaliro ambiri ozungulira cholinga chenicheni ndi tanthauzo kumbuyo kwa fupa la Ishango. Ena amachenjeza kuti tisamawonetsere malingaliro amakono a manambala pachojambula chakalechi ndikulimbikitsanso kufufuza zinthu zina zophiphiritsira za nthawi yomweyo.
Fupa la Ishango likadali chithunzithunzi chochititsa chidwi, chowunikira masamu ndi chikhalidwe cha makolo athu akale.
Pambuyo powerenga za The Ishango Bone, werengani za kupezeka kwa Si.427: Phale ladongo la ku Babulo la zaka 3,700, lomwe lingakhale chitsanzo chakale kwambiri cha geometry yogwiritsidwa ntchito.
