This repository contains an interactive 3D visualization of archaeological finds recovered during the 2022 excavations at Widgingarri Shelter 1 in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia.
Widgingarri Shelter 1 is a culturally significant site of the Arraluli people. The 2022 excavation was a collaboration between the Arraluli and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage.
[!IMPORTANT] The visualization presents archaeological data from a culturally significant site of the Arraluli people, and is shared in support of the publications listed below.
The visualization accompanies and supplements the following publications:
- Hayes et al. (submitted). Tool use, maintenance and pigment processing at Widgingarri Shelter 1: Insights into Aboriginal technological practices from ≥55,000 years ago.
- Lin et al. (2026). Recent archaeological investigations at Widgingarri Shelter 1, northwest Australia. Australian Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1080/03122417.2026.2717665
The interactive plot allows users to explore the three-dimensional spatial distribution of artefacts recovered from the excavation. Individual finds are plotted according to their recorded excavation coordinates and can be examined interactively within a web browser.
index.html- Interactive 3D visualization of excavated finds.README.md- Documentation and usage instructions.
Download the repository and open index.html in a modern web browser.
Alternatively, you can access the plot through this link: https://samclin.github.io/WIDG_3D_viewer/
Recommended browsers:
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Mozilla Firefox
- Safari
No additional software installation is required.
The visualization can be explored using standard mouse or trackpad controls:
- Click and drag to rotate the view.
- Scroll to zoom in and out.
- Right-click and drag to pan.
- Hover over a point to display specimen information.
- Single left-click on legend item to exclude from display.
- Double left-click on legend item to only display the selected item.
The plot displays the recorded three-dimensional positions of piece-plotted archaeological finds recovered during the 2022 excavation of Widgingarri Shelter 1.
Finds are colour-coded by artefact category and include both piece-provenienced specimens and materials recovered through sieving. Categories represented in the dataset include:
- Lithics
- Grinding stone fragments
- Edge-ground hatchet (EGH) flakes
- A single possible EGH fragment
- Haematite (pigment)
Each plotted point represents an individual archaeological find located according to its recorded excavation coordinates.
The visualization includes a semi-transparent three-dimensional surface representing the excavated deposit, allowing archaeological finds to be viewed within their broader spatial context.
Hovering over an individual point displays:
- X coordinate
- Y coordinate
- Z coordinate
- Unit-ID
The Unit-ID corresponds to the unique identifier assigned to each archaeological find within the excavation database.
The visualization includes materials recovered through both piece-proveniencing and sieving. Consequently, spatial precision varies among artefact classes and recovery methods. Users should consider these differences when interpreting fine-scale spatial patterning within the deposit.
See Lin et al. (2026) for more information on the excavation and recording strategy.
This visualization is provided as a supplementary research resource and should be interpreted in conjunction with the associated publications.
If you use this visualization, please cite the associated publications listed above.
Dr Sam Lin School of Science, University of Wollongong