An archaeologist explains new evidence from stone tools that shows strong and wide social connections among our ancestors who lived 65,000 years ago in Southern Africa.
一位考古家解了，自石器示，在65千年前，咱生活在非洲南部的祖先，有著牢固且泛社性的新。
Humans are the only species to live in every environmental niche in the world—from the ice sheets to the deserts, rainforests to savannas. As individuals, we are rather puny, but when we are socially connected, we are the most dominant species on the planet.
人是唯一生活於，冰原到沙漠，雨林到稀草原之世界上所有境生位的物。作，咱相渺小。不，咱有社性，咱是此星球上最的物。
New evidence from stone tools in Southern Africa shows these social connections were stronger and wider than we had thought among our ancestors who lived around 65,000 years ago, shortly before the large “out of Africa” migration in which they began to spread across the world.
自非洲南部石器的新示，在咱生活於大65千年前的祖先，於他始散播世界各地之大模“走出非洲”的徙之前不久，此些社性，比咱想像的更牢固且更泛。
Early humans weren’t always so connected. The first humans to leave Africa died out without this migratory success and without leaving any genetic trace among us today.
早期人未必如此。首批非洲的人，在有徙成功下，了。因此，目前在咱中，有留下任何痕。
But for the ancestors of today’s people living outside of Africa, it was a different story. Within a few thousand years, they had migrated into and adapted to every type of environmental zone across the planet.
不，就今生活於非洲以外之人的祖先而言，是一不同。在千年，他已移到地球各地，了每一型境域。
Archaeologists think the development of social networks and the ability to share knowledge between different groups was the key to this success. But how do we observe these social networks in the deep past?
考古家，社性的展，及不同群之分享知的能力，是此成功。不，咱如何察些，於久去中的社性？
To address this question, archaeologists examine tools and other human-made objects that still survive today. We assume that the people who made those objects, like people today, were social creatures who made objects with cultural meanings.
了面此，考古家了，今仍然存在的工具及其他人造物。 咱假，造那些物品的人，如同今的人，是造具文化意物品之具社交的人。
A small, common stone tool gave us an opportunity to test this idea in Southern Africa, during a period known as the Howiesons Poort around 65,000 years ago.
一小型、常的石器予了我，在大65千年前，於非洲南部，一被通豪森普(Howiesons Poort)期之期，解的。
Archaeologists call these sharp, multipurpose tools “backed artifacts,” but you can think of them as a “stone Swiss Army knife”: the kind of useful tool you carry around to do various jobs you can’t do by hand.
考古家此些利、多用途的工具“有背景的人工品”。不，可以它一“石的瑞士刀”：也就是，一能身，以完成手工法完成之各工作的有用工具。
These knives are not unique to Africa. They are found across the globe and come in many different shapes. This potential variety is what makes these small blades so useful to test the hypothesis that social connections existed more than 60,000 years ago.
些刀子不是非洲有。它於全球各地被，且有多不同形。使此些小刀片，6多年前，存在社性之假非常有用的是，此在的多性。
1. 石“瑞士刀”已在非洲南部各地被。 (援用自原文)
Across Southern Africa, these blades could have been made in any number of different shapes in different places. However, around 65,000 years ago, it turns out they were made to a very similar template across thousands of kilometers and multiple environmental niches.
於非洲南部各地，些刀片可能曾在不同地方，以不同形的任意量被成。不，大65千年前，然是在跨千公里及多境生位中，按照一非常相似之模板，被造的。
The fact they were all made to look so similar points to strong social connections between geographically distant groups across Southern Africa at this time.
Importantly, this shows for the first time that social connections were in place in Southern Africa just before the big “out of Africa” migration.
它被造得看起非常相似的事示了，在此非洲南部各地，地理上群之的烈社性。重要的是，首度示，就在大模“走出非洲”的徙之前，於非洲南部的社性已到位。
Previously, it had been thought people made these blades in response to various environmental stresses because, just like the Swiss Army knife, they are multifunctional and multiuse.
先前，一直被，人在各境力作出反，造了些刀片。因，就像瑞士刀，它是多功能且多用途的。
There is evidence the stone blades were often glued or bound to handles or shafts to make complex tools such as spears, knives, saws, scrapers, and drills, and used as tips and barbs for arrows. They were used to process plant materials, hides, feathers, and furs.
有，些石刀片往往被粘、或在把手及柄上，造如矛、刀、子、刮刀，及用作箭的尖端倒等，工具。它被用理植物材料、皮革、羽毛及毛皮。
While the making of the stone blade was not particularly difficult, the binding of the stone to the handle was, involving complex glue and adhesive recipes. During the Howiesons Poort, these blades were produced in enormous numbers across Southern Africa.
管造石刀片不特困，不石固定於把手上，涉及了之水及粘合的作。在Howiesons Poort期，些刀片在非洲南部各地大量被造。
Data from Sibudu Cave in South Africa shows that their peak in production occurred during a very dry period, when there was less rain and vegetation. These tools were manufactured for thousands of years before the Howiesons Poort, but it is during this period of changing climatic conditions that we see a phenomenal increase in their production.
自南非Sibudu洞穴的示，的生高峰生於，一雨水及植被少的非常乾燥期。些工具是在Howiesons Poort之前千年，被造的。不是在，咱看到其量著增加之此候件，不改期的期。
It is the multifunctionality and multiuse that makes this stone tool so flexible, a key advantage for hunting and gathering in uncertain or unstable environmental conditions.
使此石工具如此具性的是，多功能性及多用途性。是在不定或不定之境件下，狩及集的一。
However, the production of this tool at this time cannot be seen as only a functional response to changing environmental conditions.
然而，在此工具的生不能被，不改之境件的一功能性反。
If their proliferation was simply a functional response to changing conditions, then we should see differences in different environmental niches. But what we see is similarity in production numbers and artifact shape across great distances and different environmental zones.
倘若，它的激增只是不改之的一功能性反。那，我，於不同境生位的差。不，在跨很距及不同境域中，生量及人工品形上，我所的是相似性。
These “Swiss Army knives” provide insight into the strength of social ties in a key period for human evolution.
此些“瑞士刀”提供了，在人演化的一期中，社性度的洞察力。
This means the increase in production should be seen as part of a socially mediated response to changing environmental conditions, with strengthening long-distance social ties facilitating access to scarce, perhaps unpredictable, resources.
意味著，量的增加被，不改之境件，一社性反的一部分。因，加距的社性，有助於得稀缺，或不可的源。
The similarity in the stone “Swiss Army knife” across Southern Africa provides insight into the strength of social ties in this key period for human evolution. Their similarity suggests that it was the strength of this social network that allowed populations to prosper and adapt to changing climatic conditions.
在非洲南部各地之“瑞士刀”的相似性提供了，在人演化的此期中，社性度的洞察力。它的相似性暗示，是此使群得以旺，及不改之候件的社性力量。
These findings hold global implications for understanding how expanding social networks contributed to the expansion of modern humans out of Africa and into new environments across the globe.
就解不大的社性，如何促成代人走出非洲，及入全球各地新境而言，此些研究有多界性意涵。
址：https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/ancient-stone-swiss-army-knives/
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