Abstract
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 emergence of a new and innovative discipline, experimental psychoarchaeoacoustics. We also review underlying methodological approaches and discuss the limitations, challenges, and future directions for this new field.
Highlights
How influential are the acoustics of surrounding space on the perception and interpretation of sound itself? Recent decades have seen a growing body of research that integrates architecture, music studies, psychology, and acoustical physics with the aim of unraveling how we relate to sound in space
What if our inquiry goes beyond trying to answer how soundscapes may have influenced the human experience of sound among premodern societies? An archaeological site itself may act as a musical instrument, generating sounds as a result of its own acoustical properties, or it may introduce a characteristic quality to other sounds made at or in the site (Till, 2014; Díaz-Andreu and Mattioli, 2019)
We argue in favor of a novel discipline, experimental psychoarchaeoacoustics, and offer some basic tenets and methodological approaches for it, while, at the same time, discuss its limitations and potential challenges
Summary
How influential are the acoustics of surrounding space on the perception and interpretation of sound itself? Recent decades have seen a growing body of research that integrates architecture, music studies, psychology, and acoustical physics with the aim of unraveling how we relate to sound in space. Researchers have examined the connection between acoustics and rock art in relation to the location of rock art in naturally sonorous landscapes, as well as in landscapes where artificially produced sounds can induce relevant acoustic responses This type of inquiry differs from others in archaeoacoustics aimed at exploring the kinds of sounds ancient communities were able to produce with musical instruments and their own voices (Sánchez, 2007; Kleinitz, 2008; Kollveit, 2008). To test the acoustics at rock art sites, researchers have used different sound stimuli covering a wide range of sources, including the human voice (Reznikoff, 1987; Reznikoff and Dauvois, 1988) and single loud percussion noises via a spring-loaded device (Waller 2002). The authors combined ecologically valid acoustical measurements with subjective researcher-observer data to chart sound transmission and reception of different classes of sounds, enabling the identification of environmental contingencies, and the estimation of site acoustical features (Kolar et al, 2018)
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