WitsOriginsCentreAR
Education
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Africa is where our ancestors evolved. It’s only fitting then that the bustling metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa, is home to the Origins Centre.
Ceremoniously opened by former president Thabo Mbeki in 2006, the Origins Centre is a world-class museum dedicated to the exploration and celebration of humankind, telling the story of the emergence of human beings and humanity in southern Africa.
Conceptualised by a team of academics and designers from Wits University, the museum aims to provide visitors with a unique experience of Africa’s rich and complex heritage.
In addition, the Origins Centre houses an extensive collection of southern African rock art in collaboration with Wits University's Rock Art Research Institute (RARI). Visitors are thus afforded the fantastic opportunity to learn about the earliest images made by humans, and witness southern African rock art - recognized by many as comprising some of the most beautiful and complex rock art in the world.
Combining cutting-edge technology with the creative vision of some of South Africa’s foremost artists, exhibits take visitors on an extraordinary voyage of discovery, which begins with the origins of humankind in Africa, and progresses through the history, symbolism, and technology associated with the various traditions of southern African rock art.
The permanent museum exhibit begins with the oldest aspects of the human past. A favourite of this part of the journey features casts of hominid fossils discovered in South Africa and focuses on the contribution that these fossils have made to understanding the development of humankind. The exploration then continues, showing how the diverse southern African rock art traditions – the world’s oldest continuous art forms – have been treated differently at various points in history, contrasting colonial ideas with with the re-discovery of these ancient masterworks in a contemporary world.
The Origins Centre seeks to restore the African continent to its rightful place in history – at the very beginning of mankind’s journey to humanity.
The Origins Centre is also home to a vast array of palaeoanthropological, archaeological and genetic exhibits that chart the origins of humankind. These include ancient stone tools, artefacts of spiritual significance to early humans, and examples of the region’s striking rock art.
Visitors to the Origins Centre can expect to follow an 80 000-year path in search of the art and culture that has inspired human innovation, as well as delve into the fascinating beliefs of the ancient San, experiencing ritual such as hunting and the trance dance.
The average museum experience takes between 90 minutes and two hours, but for the enthusiast, there is an unsurpassed wealth of additional multi-media material detailing Africa’s past.
Audio guides come with the price of admission and are available in six languages – Zulu, Sotho, English, Afrikaans, French and German.
To book your tour of the centre contact our front desk on +27 (0)11 717 4700 – or email: ask.origins@wits.ac.za
To subscribe to our mailing list and receive updates on events at the Origins Centre, email: ask.origins@wits.ac.za
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Information
- Seller
- Dale Deacon
- Size
- 140.1 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 12.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 12.0 or later.
• iPhone 6S
• iPhone 6S Plus
• iPhone SE (1st generation)
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
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• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 17 Pro
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• iPhone 17
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17e
• iPhone 18 Pro
• iPhone 18 Pro Max
• iPhone Duo - iPad
Requires iPadOS 12.0 or later.
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch)
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (9.7‑inch)
• iPad Pro (9.7‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad (5th generation)
• iPad (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (10.5‑inch)
• iPad Pro (10.5‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad (6th generation)
• iPad (6th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (11‑inch)
• iPad Pro (11‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad mini (5th generation)
• iPad mini (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad (7th generation)
• iPad (7th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (11‑inch) (2nd generation)
• iPad Pro (11‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (4th generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air (4th generation)
• iPad Air (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad (8th generation)
• iPad (8th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (11-inch) (3rd generation)
• iPad Pro (11-inch) (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (5th generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad mini (6th generation)
• iPad mini (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad (9th generation)
• iPad (9th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air (5th generation)
• iPad Air (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad (10th generation)
• iPad (10th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (11‑inch) (4th generation)
• iPad Pro (11‑inch) (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (6th generation)
• iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (6th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad (A16)
• iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 11-inch (M3)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 13-inch (M3)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M5)
• iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M5)
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
• iPad Air 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular
• iPad Air 13-inch (M4)
• iPad Air 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular - iPod touch
Requires iOS 12.0 or later.
• iPod touch (7th generation) - Mac
Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
18+
- 18+
- Copyright
- © Wits Origins Centre Museum