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Dynamic Collections: An Interactive Platform for 3D Archaeological Artefacts

Dynamic Collections is an initiative led by the Digital Archaeology Laboratory (DARKLab) at Lund University, in collaboration with the Visual Computing Lab at the National Research Council of Italy’s Institute for Information Science and Technologies “Alessandro Faedo” (ISTI-CNR). 

The platform is generously supported by Swedigarch – the Swedish National Infrastructure for Digital Archaeology, the Einar Hansen Foundation, and the Thora Ohlsson Foundation. Dynamic Collections is not a long-term data repository. It is an interactive environment designed to engage with 3D archaeological artefacts. The platform enables researchers, students, and heritage professionals to explore, annotate, and share digital objects, fostering new ways of using and interpreting archaeological data. Users can build thematic collections, exchange annotations, and collaboratively extract information from 3D materials to support research and education.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to our student interns Jake Clarke, Samantha Day, Michael Harris, Filip Johnstone, Margaret Muth, and Hanna Rosenborg, Samantha Day, Nell Esbjörnsson, Yunchen Tan, Andra Tudor for their excellent work and support during the project years 2019–2023.

Project Participants

Nicolò Dell’Unto, Lund University

Fredrik Ekengren, Lund University

Marco Callieri, CNR: National Research Council of Italy

Paola Derudas, Lund University

Danilo Marco Campanaro, Lund University

Giuseppe Naponiello, Lund University

Åsa Berggren, Lund University

Elna Arvidsson, Lund University

Rebecca Ringdahl, Lund University

Project Coordination

Nicolò Dell'Unto (PI)
 

Fredrik Ekengren (Co-PI)
 

Marco Callieri (Co-PI)

System Development

Marco Callieri
 

Giuseppe Naponiello
 

Database and mapping 
 

Marco Callieri, Giuseppe Naponiello, Paola Derudas

Data Acquisition and Post Processing

Danilo Marco Campanaro

Web Contents

Marco Callieri, Danilo Marco Campanaro


Project Partners

Lund University Digital Archaeology Laboratory - DARKLab
Visual Computing Lab, National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo" - ISTI
Lund University Historical Museum

Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University

Blekinge Museum

The Swedish History Museum

Copyright Information

Online Systems: Copyright (C) 2020-2026 - Lund University, ISTI-CNR. All rights reserved.

Platform availability

The source code of the legacy Dynamic Collections platform is freely available since January 2024:
👉 github.com/cnr-isti-vclab/DynamicCollections

Understanding the Data Sets

The datasets accessible through the Dynamic Collections platform belong to three distinct typologies. Each type may be subject to different copyright and licensing conditions established by the institution that created and published the record:

  1. Metadata referring to the original artefact
    → Descriptive information about the physical object that was digitised (e.g., material, provenance).

  2. Metadata referring to the virtual artefact (paradata)
    → Technical and contextual information about the 3D model itself (e.g., method, equipment, processing details).

  3. 3D visualisation
    → The interactive model displayed through the Dynamic Collections 3D viewer (3DHOP).
    This version cannot be downloaded directly from Dynamic Collections.
    However, users may create screenshots using the integrated tools.

How to Access and Reuse the Data

If an institution has made the underlying 3D model available through a DOI, Dynamic Collections provides a direct link to that DOI.
From there, the dataset can be accessed and downloaded via the external repository chosen by the publishing institution (for example, Zenodo or SND).

Please note that:

  • The availability, format, and license of downloadable data depend entirely on the publishing institution.

  • Models released under a Creative Commons (CC BY) license can typically be reused with attribution.
    Different versions of CC BY may apply—please check the specific license on the dataset page.

  • All copyright and licensing details are listed on the artefact page within Dynamic Collections.

Citing and Crediting Dynamic Collections

If you use or reproduce material (such as screenshots) generated from the Dynamic Collections platform, please include the following credit:

“Image produced using the Dynamic Collections platform, artefact [insert object name or inventory number], available at [insert artefact URL], DARKLab, Lund University.”

This credit helps maintain the visibility and traceability of the data and supports the open-access mission of the project.
Instructions and Guidelines

Additional Notes

For an overview of the different CC BY licenses and a summary of permissible actions under each, refer to the list below with relative links:
 

Detailed instructions for reuse and licensing are provided:

  • Inside the downloaded zip file (if applicable)

  • On the dataset repository page

  • On the corresponding artefact page within Dynamic Collections

For a summary of the most common CC BY licenses, please consult: