From room acoustics to paleoacoustics: A preliminary acoustical study in Chauvet Cave

Abstract

Due to geological closures between 21 000 and 29 000 years ago, the acoustics of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Chauvet Cave (Ardèche, France) have been in slow flux via mineral deposition processes that continue to alter its interior. Since Upper Paleolithic humans created extensive and elaborate artworks throughout this grand limestone cavern more than 30 000 years ago, the cave’s interior has changed with calcite and other minerals forming a diversity of features including the best-known stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone floor coverings. Here, we report on archaeoacoustics fieldwork in 2022 that initiated acoustical mapping and reconstructive modeling to enable archaeological acoustics research and the creation of auralizations and multimodal experiences for virtual public access to this conservation-restricted place. We present here a comparative room acoustics study of two substantively enclosed cave areas (Salle du Fond and Galerie du Cactus) whose volumes differ significantly, but whose extant reverberation times are similar across most center bands, providing important information about the dynamical contributions of surface materials and structural features distinct to each impulse-response-measured location. Our study exemplifies an archaeological application of room acoustics methods with site-responsive techniques that offer a human-centered approach for understanding and translating cultural heritage acoustics across time.