Sound archaeology: terminology, Palaeolithic cave art and the soundscape

Abstract

This paper is focused on the ways that terminology describing the study of music and sound within archaeology has changed over time, and how this reflects developing methodologies, exploring the expectations and issues raised by the use of differing kinds of language to define and describe such work. It begins with a discussion of music archaeology, addressing the problems of using the term "music" in an archaeological context. It continues with an examination of archaeoacoustics and acoustics, and an emphasis on sound rather than music. This leads on to a study of sound archaeology and soundscapes, pointing out that it is important to consider the complete acoustic ecology of an archaeological site, in order to identify its affordances, those possibilities offered by invariant acoustic properties. Using a case study from northern Spain, the paper suggests that all of these methodological approaches have merit, and that a project benefits from their integration.

Sound Archaeology: A Study of the Acoustics of Three World Heritage Sites, Spanish Prehistoric Painted Caves, Stonehenge, and Paphos Theatre

“…The Songs of the Caves multi-disciplinary project (SOTC) set out to explore relationships between the acoustics of the caves and positioning of paintings. Two existing publications [4,15] provide further contextual information about the caves as well as relevant archaeological references.…”

“…A detailed account of the acoustic methodology used for collecting impulse responses has been published [4,15], and these collected responses were used for generating the acoustic metrics for caves discussed in this study. Sine sweep test signals were generated through a portable powered loudspeaker that had been characterised in an anechoic chamber, using WinMLS software on a laptop, results captured with a soundcard and small diaphragm condenser microphones.…”

“…Precision measurement microphone capsules often require separate power supplies, connected by banana plugs to specialist cables designed for use in the laboratory or an office. The author used these during a study of the acoustics of caves featuring Palaeolithic paintings, with a methodology described in detail in previous project publications [4,15]. Despite taking care to look after them, due to the humidity these highly expensive but fragile pieces of equipment stopped working.…”

“…The dodecahedron used in the author's initial field tests in caves in Spain was used with a subwoofer [4,15]. These speakers were large and heavy; the first cave being explored was at the top of a long climb up a muddy hill, and transporting the equipment was difficult.…”

An archaeoacoustic study of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum on Malta

“…In addition to examining the veracity of previous studies, the research presented here considers the affordances of the acoustics of the space in relation to both past ritual activities and the culture of the people involved. This project places itself within the fields of music archaeology (International Study Group on Music Archaeology n.d.), sound archaeology (Till 2014) and archaeoacoustics (Scarre & Lawson 2006). A bibliography and archaeoacoustics methods document are available at the Acoustics and Music of British Prehistory Research Network (n.d.).…”