AR awakens the past at Melville Koppies

University of Johannesburg (UJ), working with Melville Koppies Management Committee, recently introduced a new augmented reality (AR) experience that brings an ancient iron smelting site back into view.

According to the University of Johannesburg, The site is believed to have last been used about 500 years ago. Now, with a simple scan on a smartphone, visitors can see it come alive again.

In my culture, we say history is not only written in books. It sits in the soil and waits for someone to listen.

Sesotho and Setswana-speaking communities

The project was led by Izak Potgieter and Herman Myburgh from University of Johannesburg’s Metaverse Research Unit.

At its core, the work honours the knowledge and innovation of the ancestors of today’s Sesotho- and Setswana-speaking communities. It speaks not only to skill and labour, but also to a deep understanding of metal and land long before modern industry arrived.

Through this, animation and guided narration allow the site to become a place of learning again. In doing so, it shows how early communities worked with natural resources and, importantly, how they understood their environment.

‘Intellectual and cultural bridge’

Professor Kammila Naidoo, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at UJ, described it as a bridge between generations, helping people experience history in a more direct way.

“Melville Koppies has long stood as a place of deep historical and cultural significance. For many of the present generation, these histories can feel distant and this project steps in as not just a technological achievement but an intellectual and cultural bridge. Through augmented reality we can reconstruct, reanimate and re-experience a vital aspect of our shared history.”

The experience has been designed to be widely accessible. Visitors can scan a QR code and view the reconstruction on even basic smartphones. The content is supported by UJ’s Department of History and Language Unit, with multilingual narration to reach a broader audience.

Pre-colonial African knowledge

For Dr Potgieter, the work is about recognising that history lives in the spaces people move through every day. He noted that the site offers a rare chance to present pre-colonial African knowledge in the place where it happened. By adding a digital layer, the past becomes something people can engage with in the moment.

“The site offers a rare opportunity to represent pre-colonial African technological knowledge in-situ,” said Dr Potgieter. “By animating the past, we enable visitors to engage with history in a way that is immediate, accessible, and deeply meaningful.”

Jenny Grice from the management committee said the project adds to the activities already offered at the reserve. It is expected to draw more visitors, from school groups to families, and deepen interest in the site.

In my culture, we do not walk past history. We greet it.

Now, at Melville Koppies, you can greet it and see it answer back.