Sound Archaeology: An interdisciplinary Perspective

When approaching a new, interdisciplinary field it is important to consider what has gone before. Music archaeology, archaeoacoustics and sound archaeology are closely related areas, which have a history stretching back 40 years or more. This paper discusses some of the previous developments in the field, providing a context for current work. It points readers to a number of different sources of further information as well as discussing some of the issues raised by working across the borders of the disciplines of music, archaeology and acoustics. It addresses intentionality, scientific studies and interpretation, as well as the freedom post-processual archaeology offers from the dogma of trying to find simple answers to complex questions.