Archaeoacoustics: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Frequency-Dependent Sound on Human Thought and Feeling in a Bronze Age Cave in Morayshire (original) (raw)
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NeuroQuantology, 2014
An archaeoacoustic study was recently conducted within the prehistoric cave system of El Castillo in northern Spain. With findings dating back at least 40800 years, archaeological studies of this cave have revealed the presence of prehistoric ritual activity associated with early shamanism. Simulated audio tones of varying frequencies were created and emitted from the location at which it is thought the shamans would conduct rituals within El Castillo, while the sound was simultaneously recorded from the likely location of potential observers or participants. Subsequent analysis identified a frequency-dependent amplification of recorded sound intensity for frequencies approaching the range of 100 Hz, with the greatest effect observed for 108 and 110 Hz. These results are markedly consistent with previous research of important or sacred sites which have shown significant sonic resonance features within this precise range of frequencies. Additional consideration is applied to the potential effects of 110 Hz physical stimuli on biological systems in the context of neurotheology and the associated biophysical analyses in order to demonstrate the potential importance of 110 Hz signals on religious experience and subjective states of consciousness.
Frontiers in Psychology
How important is the influence of spatial acoustics on our mental processes related to sound perception and cognition? There is a large body of research in fields encompassing architecture, musicology, and psychology that analyzes human response, both subjective and objective, to different soundscapes. But what if we want to understand how acoustic environments influenced the human experience of sound in sacred ritual practices in premodern societies? Archaeoacoustics is the research field that investigates sound in the past. One of its branches delves into how sound was used in specific landscapes and at sites with rock art, and why past societies endowed a special significance to places with specific acoustical properties. Taking advantage of the advances made in sound recording and reproduction technologies, researchers are now exploring how ancient social and sacred ceremonies and practices related to the acoustic properties of their sound environment. Here, we advocate for the ...
Archaeology, Archaeoacoustics and Early Musical Behaviour
Archaeoacoustics III - The Archaeology of Sound, 2018
Archaeological evidence has been reporting several “sound-producing devices” such as flutes, lithophones, rasps and other since the Upper Palaeolithic, where an early musical behaviour must have occurred. In Late Prehistory, rock art displays more examples of that musical evidence, representing people playing instruments such as lyre, drums, bronze lure and horns, among other cases. Research in Archaeoacoustics allows a better understanding of the contexts where the mentioned “sound-producing devices” were used, since the reverberant environment of some caves and megalithic monuments can have developed emotions and feelings in the minds of prehistoric populations. KEYWORDS: Musical behavior, sound, Archaeoacoustics
Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland
Open Archaeology, 2023
Pirunkirkko ("Devil's Church") is one of the famous caves in Finland. Tradition says that this crevice leading into the mountain was a meeting place for sages, who typically used sound to contact the spirit world. Today, the place is visited by practitioners of shamanism, who organise drumming sessions at the back of the cave. This article examines Pirunkirkko and the related traditions from the perspective of acoustics, hypothesising that the acoustic characteristics of the crevice might have played a role in the ritualisation of the place and the power of its rituals. Methods employed include impulse response recording, spectrum analysis, archival research, and interview of a shamanic practitioner. The results indicate that the back of the cave houses a distinct resonance phenomenon. A standing wave between the parallel walls generates a ringing tone at 219-232 Hz that stays audible after sharp impulses or vocalisations at the same frequency. The local folklore or the interviewed practitioner does not mention this phenomenon at all. Instead, they speak about the "spirit of the cave," "special energy," or "new horizons" opened up by drumming. This leads to reflection on cultural frameworks of thought that guide sensory perceptions leading to differing experiences and interpretations.
Journal of Sonic Studies, 2017
The rich and well-preserved osteological material from the archaeological complex of Ajvide, Gotland (3200‒2300 cal BC), provides favorable conditions for studying prehistoric sounds and soundscapes. Archaeological excavations at the site have uncovered tubular bone artifacts and concentrations of animal tooth pendants that resemble whistles and rattles, the earliest types of sound instruments. The remains of hunted animals, such as seals, boars, dogs and birds, provide a lively picture of the species that were present in the environment. This article aims to evoke the sonic experiences of the people utilizing the site of Ajvide and explore how these hunter-gatherers constructed and responded to their sonic environment. The results of the osteological, organological and soundscape analyses are presented in the form of a scholarly text, samples of studio and field recordings, and a soundtrack that fuses the results together into a nine-minute piece of sound art.
Archaeoacoustics in ancient civilizations
Proceedings of International Conference: “ANCIENT GREECE AND THE MODERN WORLD - The Influence of Greek Thought on Philosophy, Science and Technology“, 2016
Archaeoacoustics is a relatively new approach to analyze any archaeological sites that has interesting acoustic characteristics. It can be used to demonstrate sound occurrences believed to have been incorporated into the design by the architects of certain structures. Another aspect of archaeoacoustic research can understand how such structures affect brain activity, useful during rites where an altered state of mind intensifies the experience. Natural phenomena can also influence the psychological state for example by inducing mystical states. We have demonstrated ancient civilizations had some knowledge of this phenomena, through understanding the significance specific locations were choosen for buildings such as temples. Using digital recording equipment, it is now possible to record non-audible sound frequency bands. These bands have a direct effect on the human body and mind without a person being aware of the existence of their accompanying mechanical vibrations. The hypothesis of SB research group is that at some archaeological sites, exists a measurable natural audio or electromagnetic phenomena that enhance its mystical properties. Following this line of research, interesting archaeoacoustic effects have been discovered at a number of sacred sites from Malta to Turkey and Serbia to Italy. Incorporating a neurophysiological approach, is adding weight to this hypothesis.
Open Archaeology, 2023
Díaz-Andreu, Margarita, and Neemias Santos da Rosa. 2023. "[Special Issue] Past Sounds: New Perspectives in the Field of Archaeoacoustics." Open Archaeology 9, 1: articles 20220329, 20220330, 20220328, 20220327, 20220344, and 20220340. https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/opar/9/1/html?lang=en | • Employing Psychoacoustics in Sensory Archaeology: Developments at the Ancient Sanctuary of Zeus on Mount Lykaion - Pamela Jordan - Article number: 20220329. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0329 | • One, Two, Three! Can Everybody Hear Me? Acoustics of Roman Contiones. Case Studies of the Capitoline Hill and the Temple of Bellona in Rome - Kamil Kopij, Adam Pilch, Monika Drab, Szymon Popławski - Article number: 20220330. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0330 | • Ringing Tone and Drumming Sages in the Crevice Cave of Pirunkirkko, Koli, Finland - Riitta Rainio, Elina Hytönen-Ng - Article number: 20220328. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0329 | • Music and Storytelling at Rock Art Sites? The Archaeoacoustics of the Urkosh Area (Russian Altai) - Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Andrzej Rozwadowski, Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos, Neemias Santos da Rosa, Daniel Benítez-Aragón, Lidia Alvarez-Morales - Article number: 20220327 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opar-2022-0327/html | • Listening in Sacred Spaces: The Sanctuary of Poseidonia and Selinunte’s Main Urban Sanctuary - Angela Bellia - article number 20220344. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opar-2022-0344/html | • Presenting Archaeoacoustics Results Using Multimedia and VR Technologies - Rupert Till - article number 20220340 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opar-2022-0340 |
Archaeoacoustics: A Perceptual Study
Existing studies show that there are strange acoustical effects at the prehistoric sites. The resonances found at European prehistoric sites are generally in the frequency range of 90 – 120 Hz. The effects of listening to tones on regional brain activity at this frequency range have been studied before. This study is an investigation into the perceptibility of the resonances in the aforementioned frequency range, using a technique called auralisation. Bass response of the auralisations of a prehistoric hypogeum (Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Malta) and a modern cathedral (Saint-Etienne, France) is analysed using spectral audio analysis methods. An ABX listening test was designed and carried out to test the hypothesis. The quantitative results of the subjective listening tests showed that subjects could differentiate between the two audio files. Combined with the findings from spectral analysis of the audio files, the study is concluded that the resonances found in the auralisation of Hal Saflieni Hypogeum are perceptible, thus, perceptual studies about the effects and possible use of the prehistoric sites need to be urged in order to discover the forgotten cultures and knowledge. Recommendations for further work are stated.
Archaeology and organology studies of Ancient percussion instruments or sound objects help us to better understand and achieve sounds heard by Ancient populations. Faced to literary and iconographic testimonies, archaeological data could assist us to distinguish physical soundscape depictions to ethical and moral considerations, even if both might be linked. In the Ancient Roman soundscape, such drums artefacts seem to play various similar roles: signals intended to the gods and / or humans, protection, healing, votive offerings, etc. This paper will examine the potential constants (or differences) between percussion instruments by putting them back into the global ancient anthropophony1 as foreground sounds2 and soundmarks.3 Effects produced by sistra, cymbala, tympana or crotala are more understandable by contextualizing them into a general archaeological landscape. In this way, we can realize, for instance, that apotropaic and prophylactic aspects come from the material or the movement rather than from the sound itself. In other words, we analyze what a percussion foreground sound means for ancient individuals. We’ll also discuss the importance of percussion instruments as soundmarks for the communities within the global Roman world. Indeed, such objects – even not only because of their sound characteristics – are identities markers, especially of religious or political ones. Keywords : Soundscape, Percussions, Ancient Rome, Musical Instruments / Sound artefacts, Foreground sounds, Soundmarks.
Recent studies in the field of sensory archaeology – that encompasses the meaning and impact of senses in the past and in the comprehension of past phenomena – developed new theories and methods in the archaeological research starting from not only visible and tangible data but also envisioning no longer existing (visible, tangible and audible) information from the past. Sensory archaeology, in fact, looks at what we can label an experimental approach to the past and archaeological contexts assuming that the analysis of the perception through the senses can eventually disclose new possibility and attempts for a wider comprehension of the use of material culture, on the one hand, and architecture and landscape, on the other. Recently, the definition of sensescape precisely points to the evaluation of not only the five senses but, more specifically, how the perception through senses affected the cognition of the space around (the peripersonal space) and the system of communication (interrelations with the space, the things and the people within): in this respect, this approach led to new affordances and perspectives on the different degrees of past interactions in the societies of the ancient Near East. Of course, a process of contextualization is necessary: the use of senses must be settled in the past and in a precise archaeological context so that general assumptions and too generic reconstructions can be avoided. Moreover, the evaluation of the senses must go through an emic process that takes into account the perspective and meaning that are given by the society under examination: the risk of flattening the sensory experience of the past on our modern perception and evaluation of the use and impact of senses is always round the corner. In this respect, does a classification of senses exist? Based on contemporary society and forced by the nature of the archaeological evidence, it might be logic to give the sight the first rank of the classification. Does the result also reflect the reality of the past? Can we in fact infer that sight was the most exploited sense by the ancient societies in the Near East? It seems to me that since we still see the ruins of landscape, cities and buildings we are inevitably forced to cope with the sight assuming that what we see might in fact corresponds to what ancient people saw or, conversely, that what we no longer see was once clearly visible to the ancient people. The present paper analyses the effect of sound speaking against the tyranny of sight in archaeological contexts: cities and architecture are not only spaces that can be seen but they also resound and this very specific quality will be presented starting from the example of the Temple of the Rock at Ebla. In particular, starting from the definition of “acoustemology” by Steven Fold, the present communication will try to disclose the knowledge of ancient space and architecture though and via the sonic quality of the environment and materiality of things and objects – where also people become in the end auditory elements of what we can label a soundscape. Recent studies of ancient acoustic places will be taken into consideration in the introduction to settle the field of the research and the methodology of investigation, whereas the systems of acoustic resonance will be investigated to point out the role and importance of the sound in the perception and as a cognitive instrument for the communication and shared participation of individual: it is time to give the past an ear, going beyond the exclusivity of the eye showing how sound (not exclusively music, but even the noise) affects the process of interactions and the construction of the self socially, in relations to the others and the neighbouring (un)built space.