2019年经济学人 动物考古学(2)

动物考古学(2)

By excavating¹ 1,699 stones, pebbles² and flakes³,

通过挖掘出1699块石头、鹅卵石和薄片刨花

and working out the age of 122 hammerstones from the radiocarbon dates of charcoal⁴ buried alongside them,

并根据埋在旁边的木炭的放射性碳年代，计算出122颗石锤的年龄，

the team split the site's history into four phases.

该团队将该地点的历史分为四个阶段。

Capuchins first swung a rock in the area somewhere between 3,000 and 2,400 years ago—

在3000年到2400年间，卷尾猴这片区域的某个地方第一次摆弄石头—

the beginning of a period the researchers call Phase IV. This is the oldest known instance of non-ape tool use.

这是研究人员称之为第四阶段的开端。这是已知最早的非猿类使用工具的实例。

Phase IV hammerstones are light and have many impact marks.

第四阶段的石锤很轻，且有很多击象。

This suggests they were used mainly on seeds (possibly from cassava) smaller than the cashews which today's monkeys pound,

这表明它们主要被用于凿种子（可能是木薯种子），这些种子比如今猴子们凿的腰果要小，

meaning hammerstone and anvil⁵ often came into contact with one another.

这意味着石锤和铁砧经常互相接触。

Phase III, between 640 and 565 years ago, featured transitional behaviours that led to Phase II, from about 257 years ago,

第三阶段是在640年和565年前，这个阶段的过渡行为引导出了第二阶段—约从257年前开始，

when hammerstones were heavier and are associated with many large anvils⁶,

那时的石锤更重，且和很多大型的铁砧有关联，

suggesting a food source bigger and harder than cashews (the hard-shelled jatoba fruit is a possibility).

这意味着一个比腰果更大更坚硬的食物源（可能是外壳坚硬的贾托巴水果）。

More recently, in Phase I (from 27 years ago),

更近一点的第一阶段（从27年前开始），

cashew residue⁷ on stones suggests the monkeys were moving towards their present-day alimentary⁸ focus.

残留在石头上的腰果表明猴子正向它们现在的食物点移动

What Dr Falotico and Dr Proffitt do not yet know is whether the variation they saw is a result of different groups of capuchins,

Falotico和Proffitt博士现在还是不知道这种变化是否是有着不同习惯的不同种群的卷尾猴

with different habits, occupying the site at different times—

在不同时期占领这片区域的结果—

or, alternatively, whether a single lineage of the animals has changed its nutritional⁹ culture over the years.

或者是否是单一谱系的动物随时间的变化改变了它们的营养文化。

Until Dr Falotico's original dig, chimps¹⁰ were the only species other than human beings for which an archaeological record of tool use had been found.

在Falotico博士的初次挖掘之前，猩猩是除了人类外唯一一个有使用工具考古记录的物种。

(In 2007 researchers discovered chimpanzee-modified stones that were 4,300 years old.)

（2007年，研究人员发现了4300年前被猩猩改良过的石头。）

There is no reason, though, not to expect the finding of further, and perhaps older, sites in future.

不过我们没有理由不期待未来会发现更远、甚至更古老的遗址。

Moreover, studying how capuchins and chimps have used tools may give an inkling of how the process happened in people.

此外，研究卷尾猴和黑猩猩如何使用工具或许能让我们对这一过程在人类身上是如何发生的有所了解。

One thing Dr Falotico and Dr Proffitt have noticed is that some of the sharp flakes that fly off

Falotico和Proffitt博士注意到了一件事—当铁锤与铁砧碰撞时所脱落的

when hammer meets anvil look identical to Stone Age blades made by human beings.

一些锋利薄片看起来和石器时代人类制造的刀片一模一样。

Capuchins have not yet—so far as is known—thought to use such flakes as knives.

就目前所知，卷尾猴还不会使用刀这样的薄片。

But perhaps their own "2001" moment awaits them in the future.

但也许它们自己的“2001”时刻在未来等待着它们。

1 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

2 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。

3 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

4 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

5 anvil   

n.铁钻

参考例句：

• The blacksmith shaped a horseshoe on his anvil.铁匠在他的铁砧上打出一个马蹄形。
• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly.订书机上的铁砧安装错位。

6 anvils   

n.（铁）砧( anvil的名词复数 )；砧骨

参考例句：

7 residue   

n.残余，剩余，残渣

参考例句：

• Mary scraped the residue of food from the plates before putting them under water.玛丽在把盘子放入水之前先刮去上面的食物残渣。
• Pesticide persistence beyond the critical period for control leads to residue problems.农药一旦超过控制的临界期，就会导致残留问题。

8 alimentary   

adj.饮食的，营养的

参考例句：

• He had the disease of alimentary canal.他患了消化道疾病。
• This system is mainly a long tube,called the alimentary canal.这一系统主要是一根长管，称作消化道。

9 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

10 chimps   

（非洲）黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chimps are too scarce, and too nearly human, to be routinely slaughtered for spare parts. 黑猩猩又太少，也太接近于人类，不可以作为人器官备用件说杀就杀。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
• And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类，就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命