FEATURE: Rock Art ‒ Origins Centre
These rocks hold clues to history, belief systems, even the effects of climate change. They tell a story of humankind
Stones speak at last Ufrieda Ho shares the excitement with researchers at the Origins Centre about the rocks that have been locked away in storage for years.
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Origins Centre Rock Engraving Archive
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t was like opening presents, says Professor Amanda Esterhuysen about the moment she and colleagues at the Wits Origins Centre finally got to remove plastic wrappers from 76 boulders in the museum’s new wing. The boulders, of course, are no run-of-the-mill rocks. They are treasures that hold clues to the rich stories of some of the first inhabitants of southern Africa, told in paintings and engravings. Yet they had been in storage at the Rembrandt Gallery on West Campus for years and housed before that at the Johannesburg Zoo and Museum Africa. The collection also tells the story of the university’s long tradition of rock art research, archaeology, and the move to make museums and academic research relevant and more accessible to the general public.
