Sound reflection as an explanation for the content and context of rock art (original) (raw)

Results of quantitative sound level measurements show that Upper Paleolithic parietal art sites sampled in France have unusually good sound reflection. The majority of art figures at those locations can be classified as Ungulata, i.e., hoofed mammals. Echoes of percussion noises (from clapping or stone tool making) can mimic hoofbeats. Flutter echoes sounding particularly like galloping occur at Angles-sur-l'Anglin, Rouffinac's Painted Ceiling, Oreille d'Enfer, Castlemerle and in the valley containing Cap Blanc, Laussel and Commarque. Carnivore art was found in contexts of locally decreased sound reflection: e.g., in Font-de-Gaume. The decibel level from Lascaux's Chamber of Felines is statistically less than the other portions of Lascaux at the p = 0.0001 level. Both rock art and sound reflection occur world-wide, typically in caves and canyons, and art sites in Australia, Asia and America have been heard to reflect sound. Together with the knowledge that ancient cultures considered echoing a mysterious phenomenon, these observations suggest an acoustical motivation for the content and context of at least some rock art. This theory of sound reflection as a motivation for rock art is not inconsistent with either the hunting magic theory nor Leroi-Gourhan's observed pattern of sanctuary decoration.

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