Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1332-1349 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |
| Volume | 142 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 11 Sep 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
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Cave acoustics in prehistory : Exploring the association of Palaeolithic visual motifs and acoustic response. / Fazenda, Bruno; Scarre, Chris; Till, Rupert; Pasalodos, Raquel Jimenez; Rojo Guerra, Manuel; Tejedor, Cristina; Ontanon Peredo, Roberto ; Watson, Aaron; Wyatt, Simon; García Benito, Carlos; Drinkall, Helen; Foulds, Frederik.
In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 142, No. 3, 2017, p. 1332-1349.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cave acoustics in prehistory
T2 - Exploring the association of Palaeolithic visual motifs and acoustic response
AU - Fazenda, Bruno
AU - Scarre, Chris
AU - Till, Rupert
AU - Pasalodos, Raquel Jimenez
AU - Rojo Guerra, Manuel
AU - Tejedor, Cristina
AU - Ontanon Peredo, Roberto
AU - Watson, Aaron
AU - Wyatt, Simon
AU - García Benito, Carlos
AU - Drinkall, Helen
AU - Foulds, Frederik
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - During the 1980s, acoustic studies of Upper Palaeolithic imagery in French caves—using the technology then available—suggested a relationship between acoustic response and the location of visual motifs. This paper presents an investigation, using modern acoustic measurement techniques, into such relationships within the caves of La Garma, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo in Northern Spain. It addresses methodological issues concerning acoustic measurement at enclosed archaeological sites and outlines a general framework for extraction of acoustic features that may be used to support archaeological hypotheses. The analysis explores possible associations between the position of visual motifs (which may be up to 40 000 yrs old) and localized acoustic responses. Results suggest that motifs, in general, and lines and dots, in particular, are statistically more likely to be found in places where reverberation is moderate and where the low frequency acoustic response has evidence of resonant behavior. The work presented suggests that an association of the location of Palaeolithic motifs with acoustic features is a statistically weak but tenable hypothesis, and that an appreciation of sound could have influenced behavior among Palaeolithic societies of this region.
AB - During the 1980s, acoustic studies of Upper Palaeolithic imagery in French caves—using the technology then available—suggested a relationship between acoustic response and the location of visual motifs. This paper presents an investigation, using modern acoustic measurement techniques, into such relationships within the caves of La Garma, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo in Northern Spain. It addresses methodological issues concerning acoustic measurement at enclosed archaeological sites and outlines a general framework for extraction of acoustic features that may be used to support archaeological hypotheses. The analysis explores possible associations between the position of visual motifs (which may be up to 40 000 yrs old) and localized acoustic responses. Results suggest that motifs, in general, and lines and dots, in particular, are statistically more likely to be found in places where reverberation is moderate and where the low frequency acoustic response has evidence of resonant behavior. The work presented suggests that an association of the location of Palaeolithic motifs with acoustic features is a statistically weak but tenable hypothesis, and that an appreciation of sound could have influenced behavior among Palaeolithic societies of this region.
KW - Acoustics
KW - Sound source perception
KW - Statistical mechanics models
KW - Signal processing
KW - Larynx function
UR - http://asa.scitation.org/toc/jas/142/3?expanded=142
U2 - 10.1121/1.4998721
DO - 10.1121/1.4998721
M3 - Article
VL - 142
SP - 1332
EP - 1349
JO - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
JF - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
SN - 0001-4966
IS - 3
ER -