Igumbi lomhume elivalwe yisihlabathi iminyaka engaba ngu-40,000 latholwa eVanguard Cave eGibraltar - okutholakele okungadalula okwengeziwe ngamaNeanderthal ayehlala endaweni ngaleso sikhathi.
"Njengoba isihlabathi esivala igumbi sasineminyaka engu-40,000 ubudala, nokuthi igumbi, ngakho-ke, lidala, kufanele kube amaNeanderthal, ahlala e-Eurasia kusukela eminyakeni engaba ngu-200,000 kuya ku-40,000 edlule futhi cishe ayesebenzisa umhume," uClive Finlayson. , umqondisi we I-Gibraltar National Museum, wathi.
Ngenkathi ithimba likaFinlayson lisafunda lo mgede ngoSepthemba 2021, bathola indawo engenalutho. Ngemva kokukhuphuka kuyo, bathola ingamamitha angu-13 (amafidi angu-43) ubude, inama-stalactites alenga ophahleni lwegumbi.
Eduze kwegumbi lomhume, abacwaningi bathola izinsalela zamanqe, izimpisi namanqe ama-griffon, kanye ne-whelk enkulu, uhlobo lomnenke wasolwandle okungenzeka ukuthi wathwalwa yi-Neanderthal ekamelweni, kusho abavubukuli esitatimendeni. .
Abacwaningi bebemagange ukubona ukuthi yini abazoyithola uma sebeqalile ukumba. Okunye okungenzeka ukuthi iqembu lizothola imingcwabo yakwaNeanderthal, kusho uFinlayson. "Sithole izinyo lobisi le-Neanderthal eneminyaka emine ubudala eduze negumbi eminyakeni emine edlule," esho.
Izinyo “lalihlotshaniswa nezimpisi, futhi sisola ukuthi izimpisi zangenisa ingane [okungenzeka ifile] emhumeni.”
Kuthatha isikhathi eside ukuqeda imivubukulo enjalo. Abacwaningi bathole ubufakazi obuningi bokuba khona kwama-Neanderthal ohlelweni lomhume, olubizwa ngokuthi i-Gorham's Cave Complex, kuhlanganise nomdwebo okungenzeka ukuthi wawuyi-Neanderthal yasekuqaleni.
NgoJulayi 2012, phansi komunye wemigede yaseGorham kwatholakala ukuthi kuklwebhe ngokujulile. Abacwaningi bathole uchungechunge lwemigqa ewela ama-criss ngaphezu kwemitha-skwele engu-~1, esikwe phezu konqenqema lwamamitha angu-100 ukusuka ekungeneni kwalo.
Imihuzuko ihlanganisa imigqa eyisishiyagalombili ehlelwe ngamaqembu amabili emigqa emithathu emide futhi iphambanwe nemibili emifushane, esetshenziswe ukuphakamisa ukuthi iwuphawu. Imihuzuko kucatshangwa ukuthi ineminyaka okungenani engu-39,000 ubudala, ngoba yatholakala ngaphansi kongqimba lwenhlabathi engaphazamiseki yangaleyo minyaka lapho kwatholakala khona amakhulu amathuluzi amatshe e-Neanderthal. Ukuchasiswa kwemihuzuko kuma-Neanderthals kuyaphikiswa.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, okutholakele kusikisele ukuthi, kulesi simiso somhume, izihlobo zethu eziseduze kakhulu ezashabalala zahlaba izimvu zamanzi, zahlwitha izimpaphe ezinyonini ezidla inyama ukuze zizigqoke njengemihlobiso namathuluzi asetshenzisiwe, kwabikwa ngaphambili.
Ososayensi bacabange ukuthi lesi simiso somhume kungenzeka ukuthi sasingenye yezindawo zokugcina ama-Neanderthal ahlala kuzo ngaphambi kokuba ashabalale cishe eminyakeni engu-40,000 edlule.