»Into the Past«: South African Heritage Objects and the Potential Benefits of Applying Neutron Based High Resolution Tomography

Abstract

Heritage objects discovered in South Africa after 1999 are the property of the people of the Republic of South Africa. The South African Heritage Resources Agency is tasked by the South African government with overseeing the collection of these objects, and also with regulating loans that require their export beyond the borders of the Republic of South Africa. Many of these objects are of considerable international scientific importance, and include early evidence of symbolic and advanced cognitive behaviour in modern humans, the first australopithecine fossil ever found (i. e., the Taung Child), evidence crucial to unravelling the origins of mammals (i. e., therapsid mammal-like reptiles from the Karoo), and some of the oldest fossils on earth. Non-destructive imaging techniques, such as neutron tomography, synchrotron tomography, and high resolution computed tomography (i. e., microCT) are becoming increasingly vital research tools for extracting otherwise inaccessible scientific information from these objects. The study of heritage objects stands to benefit tremendously from advances made in each technique during the coming years.