The Contribution of the Stage Design to the Acoustics of Ancient Greek Theatres

Abstract

The famous acoustics of ancient Greek theatres rely on a successful combination of appropriate location and architectural design. The theatres of the ancient world effectively combine two contradictory requirements: large audience capacity and excellent aural and visual comfort. Despite serious alterations resulting from either Roman modifications or accumulated damage, most of these theatres are still theatrically and acoustically functional. Acoustic research has proven that ancient theatres are applications of a successful combination of the basic parameters governing the acoustic design of open-air venues: elimination of external noise, harmonious arrangement of the audience around the performing space, geometric functions among the various parts of the theatre, reinforcement of the direct sound through positive sound reflections, and suppression of the delayed sound reflections or reverberation. Specifically, regarding the acoustic contribution of the stage building, it is important to clarify the consecutive modifications of the skene in the various types of theatres, given the fact that stage buildings were almost destroyed in most ancient Greek theatres. This paper attempts to demonstrate the positive role of the scenery in contemporary performances of ancient drama to improve the acoustic comfort using data from a sample of twenty (20) ancient theatres in Greece.

Hitting the ‘pause’ button: What does COVID-19 tell us about the future of heritage sounds?

“…There are speci c sounds, soundmarks and soundscapes that contribute to the cultural heritage of many localities and communities [147]. Such heritage soundscapes may also include internal acoustic environments of historical buildings [148], open-air sites of archaeological interest [149], and sounds associated with the fabric of historic memorials and locations [150]. From a heritage management perspective the diminishment or loss of these needs to be managed [35].…”

Measurements of Acoustical Parameters in the Ancient Open-Air Theatre of Tyndaris (Sicily, Italy)

“…In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the acoustical characterization of ancient open-air theatres, which led to the development of several research projects (see, e.g., in [1][2][3][4]) and a prolific production of scientific literature on the topic (see, e.g., in [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]). This reflects a general trend observable in the broader field of archaeoacoustics [15].…”

Virtual Sound Field of the Roman Theatre of Malaca

“…In this theatre, the value of Gm at 15 m is precisely +2 dB. As for the spatial parameters from Figure 7, JLF versus frequency presents low average values, as does (1-IACCE), although these lie within the typical range in non-occupied concert and multi-purpose halls of up to 25,000 m 3 . This last parameter shows a decrease in early lateral reflections at low and mid frequencies when the hill adjacent to the theatre is removed (Figure 7b).…”

“…In addition to the long-term interest by historians and archaeologists, increasing attention has been paid to the acoustic properties of ancient theatres in the last decade (acoustics is an immaterial aspect of space; acoustic heritage must be taken into account when reconstructing ancient theatres in accordance with the possible alternatives) [2]. Acoustic research on the theatres of the classical world has shown that these open-air performance venues demonstrate a successful combination of architectural design to harmonically accommodate a large audience and provide excellent visual and acoustic comfort [3].…”