经济学人下载:动物考古学(2)

By excavating 1,699 stones, pebbles and flakes,
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 charcoal 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 anvil 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 anvils,
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 residue on stones suggests the monkeys were moving towards their present-day alimentary 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 nutritional 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, chimps 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。