Archaeoacoustics / edited by Chris Scarre & Graeme Lawson.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Scarre, Christopher.

Lawson, Graeme

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

Series:

McDonald Institute monographs 1363-1349

McDonald Institute monographs, 1363-1349

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Archaeology.

Music archaeology.

Sound.

Physical Description:

ix, 126 p : illustrations ; 29 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Mcdonald Institute for Archaeological Research, [2006]

Summary:

Archaeoacoustics focuses on the role of sound in human behaviour, from earliest times up to the development of mechanical detection and recording devices in the nineteenth century. Recent calls for an 'archaeology of the senses' have served as a timely, even overdue reminder that the past which we experience - and which others have experienced before us - is multisensory, drawing not only upon the primary field of vision, but also on touch, smell and hearing. Megalithic tombs, Palaeolithic painted caves, Romanesque churches and prehistoric rock shelters all present specific sound qualities which offer clues as to how they may have been designed and used. Voices resonate, external noises are subdued or eliminated, and a special aural dimension is accessed which complements the evidence of our other senses. The present volume, arising from a conference held at the McDonald Institute in 2003, brings together archaeologists and specialists in early musical instruments and acoustics in an attempt to unlock some of the meaning latent in the acoustics of such early structures and spaces. It will be essential reading for all who are concerned to seek a broader understanding of human sensory experience from prehistory up to historical times.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Sound, Place and Space: Towards an Archaeology of Acoustics / Chris Scarre 1

Chapter 2 (Un)intentional Sound? Acoustics and Neolithic Monuments / Aaron Watson 11

Chapter 3 Ears & Years: Aspects of Acoustics and Intentionality in Antiquity / Paul Devereux 23

Chapter 4 Intentionality of Rock-art Placement Deduced from Acoustical Measurements and Echo Myths / Steven J. Waller 31

Chapter 5 The Sound Paradox: How to Assess the Acoustic Significance of Archaeological Evidence? / Francesco d'Errico, Graeme Lawson 41

Chapter 6 The Scandinavian Bronze Lurs: Accident or Intent? / Peter Holmes 59

Chapter 7 Theatres and Theatre Design in the Graeco-Roman World: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches / Eleonora Rocconi 71

Chapter 8 The Evidence of the Use of Sound Resonance from Palaeolithic to Medieval Times / Iegor Reznikoff 77

Chapter 9 Large Scale-Small Scale: Medieval Stone Buildings, Early Medieval Timber Halls and the Problem of the Lyre / Graeme Lawson 85

Chapter 10 Hunter-gatherer Music and its Implications for Identifying Intentionality in the Use of Acoustic Space / Iain Morley 95

Chapter 11 Acoustics and the Human Experience of Socially-organized Sound / Ian Cross, Aaron Watson 107

Chapter 12 The Origin of Music and Rhythm / Ezra B.W. Zubrow, Elizabeth C. Blake 117.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

ISBN:

190293735X

OCLC:

69674019