ULionel Casson, oyingcali yeenqanawa zakudala ucacisa into eyayisenziwa ngabakhi beenqanawa baseRoma emva kokungciba amaplanga enqanawa. Kwakuyinto eqhelekileyo kubo “ukunyhibhela ezo ndawo zingcityiweyo okanye umphandle wenqanawa uwonke ngebhitumene neminye imixube efana nayo, iphinde iqatywe nangaphakathi.” Kwakude kudala ngaphambi kweRoma, ama-Akadi namaBhabhiloni ayesebenzisa ibhitumene ukuze akhusele iinqanawa zawo zingangenwa ngamanzi.

IZibhalo zesiHebhere zikwathetha into efanayo kwiGenesis 6:14. Igama lesiHebhere eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “itela” libhekisela kwibhitumene, ioli yokwemvelo.

Ibhitumene iziintlobo ezimbini—iba ngamanzi okanye ijiye. Abakhi beenqanawa zamandulo babesebenzisa le ingamanzi, beyiqaba ngokuthe ngqo kwinqanawa leyo. Xa ithe yaqatywa, le bhitumene yayisoma ize ikhusele inqanawa ukuba ingangenwa ngamanzi.

Yayininzi ibhitumene ngamaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile. INtili yaseSidim engakuLwandle Olufileyo, “yayinemihadi ngemihadi yebhitumene.”—Genesis 14:10.

Iintlanzi bezisoloko zikukutya okubalulekileyo. Ngaphambi kokuba baqalise ukuhamba noYesu, abanye abapostile babengabalobi beentlanzi kulwandle LwaseGalili. (Mateyu 4:18-22) Kwakudla ngokuthatyathwa ezithile kwiintlanzi ezazibanjiswa zize zisiwe “kwimizi-mveliso” ekufuphi nalapho.

Indlela iintlanzi ezaziqwayitwa ngayo kwiGalili yamandulo isasetyenziswa nangoku kwezinye iindawo. Iintlanzi zazikhutshwa iziphakathi zize zihlanjwe. Incwadi iStudies in Ancient Technology ichaza into eyayisenziwa emva koko isithi: “Kwakukhuhlwa iimpumlo, umlomo namaqoqo entlanzi ngetyuwa ekrwada. La maqoqo entlanzi akhuhliweyo ayepakishwa aze ogqunywe ngesicamba esomileyo. Ukususela kwiintsuku eziyi-3 ukuya kweziyi-5 onekiwe la maqoqo, ayeguqulwa onekwe ngelinye icala. Njengoko ingena ityuwa yayiye ikhame intlanzi kuze kuphume incindi. Emva kokuba yonekiwe yayisoma ize iqine.”

Akwaziwa ke ukuba zazinokuhlala ixesha elingakanani iintlanzi eziqwayitwe ngale ndlela. Noko ke, into yokuba iYiputa mandulo ithumele iintlanzi esele zinongiwe ibonisa ukuba iSiriya yayizisebenzisa ngokuphumelelayo ezi ndlela.