Every reconstruction, traceable to its evidence.
Extended Matrix records what was found, how it was read, and where a reconstruction goes beyond the data. One stratigraphic graph that people read and machines process.
1.5 LTS supported to Dec 2028 1.6 in development Open source · GPL-3.0
Start from the work you already do.
Sources, stratigraphy, reconstruction
For archaeologists, heritage scholars, students
- Read Learn EM: the method on paper, no software needed.
- Walk through the stratigraphic nodes and the paradata nodes.
- Draw your first graph: yEd with the EM palette, or EMStudio from 1.6.
3D models annotated with EM data
For 3D artists, modellers, technical archaeologists
- Install EM Tools in Blender, by drag and drop.
- Follow your first matrix, then the intermediate tutorials.
- Publish the scene to the web with Heriverse.
Extend, integrate, contribute
For developers and tool builders
pip install s3dgraphyand read the README.- Read the open standards (CRMem, em.json, vocabularies) and the API reference.
- Open an issue, or join the Telegram group and the monthly dev meeting.
Not sure which door? Find your path in three questions.
The same data, wherever you look at it.
Screens from a real case study, authored with EM 1.5.
Screens from a real case study, authored with EM 1.5.
Screens from a real case study, authored with EM 1.5.
The live scene opens on request, so this page stays light. Open the Heriverse scene ↗
13 projects, from Dacia to Rome.
Which version should you use?
Two lines are supported at any time. This band is rebuilt from the release manifest each time a tool is published.
Recommended for all new Extended Matrix projects — if you are unsure where to start, start here. Current Long-Term Support line, working on Blender 4.5 LTS or later (Mac Intel users included, via Blender 4.5 LTS). Headline: Representation Models management with advanced epoch visualization, Landscape mode, CronoFilter, Document Manager, Proxy Box Creator, and the first fully featured 3DSC.
- Blender
- 4.5+
- Supported to
- Dec 2028
- EM Tools
- 1.5.6
Active development line that follows the 1.5 LTS cut. No stable release yet — features, APIs and branch URLs may still move before the 1.6 cut. Track day-to-day status on the EM dev tracker. New projects should still start from EM 1.5 LTS.
- Blender
- 5.1+
- Alpha
- Nov 2026
- Beta
- Apr 2027 · staging
- Stable
- Dec 2027
- EM Tools
- 1.6.0-dev.32
- EMStudio
- 1.6.0-dev.85
Outgoing Long-Term Support release — recommended only for legacy projects already authored against this version. New projects should start from EM 1.5 LTS. Pinned to Blender 4.5 LTS (the final LTS of the 4.x series), supported through end-of-life for in-flight projects, archive deposits and reproducibility of published work.
- Blender
- 4.5 LTS
- Supported to
- Jul 2027
- EM Tools
- 1.4.4
Lines that never declared an end of support run to the end of support of the Blender they were built on. EM 1.6 will follow the next Blender LTS, expected July 2027.
Versions read fromBlender extension repositoryPyPIGitHub Releasesbuilt 2026-10-30 08:08 UTC Machine-readable feed (status.json)
A language that research infrastructures can rely on.
Open standards
The CRMem ontology extends CIDOC CRM, em.json carries a study, and the vocabularies are published in SKOS. Each has a permanent URI and a DOI.
The standardsLong-Term Support
From 1.4 every stable line is maintained for years, so a project that spans several seasons builds on a fixed target. Graphs move forward to the next line without loss.
All versionsMatured in StratiGraph
Between 2025 and 2029 the StratiGraph project, within the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage, hardens EM as shared infrastructure: governance, validation, reference exports.
About the project
Used EM in a paper? Your readers can follow the chain too.
Cite the version you used
The 2015 foundation paper is always cited; each release adds the flag paper for the features it introduced. The cite page assembles the list and the BibTeX for your version.
@article{demetrescu2015em,
author = {Demetrescu, Emanuel},
title = {Archaeological stratigraphy as a formal language for virtual reconstruction. Theory and practice},
journal = {Journal of Archaeological Science},
volume = {57},
pages = {42--55},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1016/j.jas.2015.02.004},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2015.02.004}
} How to cite EM Open data on Zenodo
Reference datasets, training material and case-study graphs go to the Extended Matrix community on Zenodo, each with a DOI. The Great Temple of Sarmizegetusa will be the first complete downloadable case study, with a data paper in Heritage.
Browse the Zenodo community ↗What is happening in the project.
EMStudio, the sovereign desktop editor for the Extended Matrix, is in active development for EM 1.6: author em.json natively across six workspaces, and connect Blender, Heriverse and more through a single connector contract. The user manual is now online.
EM Hour goes monthly — next session Thursday 9 July 2026From the July edition onwards, the community happy hour settles into a fixed monthly cadence: the second Thursday of each month at 14:00 CET. Next session: Thursday 9 July, on Microsoft Teams. Open chat, screen shares, demos — no registration.
Two community meetings in June: EM Hour (11th) and Dev Meeting (23rd)Recurring meetings calendar reopens after EM 1.5 LTS: EM Hour on the 11th (community happy hour) and Dev Meeting on the 23rd (public coordination). Both on Teams in the browser — no Microsoft account needed; please use your real name when joining.