Exploring the Fossil Hominid Vault at the University of the Witwatersrand
- Wits University
Professor Lee Berger shows what is behind the doors of the Phillip V Tobias Fossil Hominid vault.
The Fossil Primate and Hominid Vault in the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand houses perhaps the largest collection of fossil hominid remains in the world. With over 3500 individual fossils, a large comparative cast collection and a significant assemblage of non-human fossil primates, the vault is a mecca for scientists from around the world. The world-class facility was purpose built seven years ago and can support more than 30 scientists at a time working on its collections. It is situated next to a dedicated Micro-CT scanning facility dedicated to scanning heritage remains.