Archeological Acoustics
Acoustics is my business, and archeology is at best a side interest
and hobby for me. Time was, the two were never mentioned together.
But lately, I've collected several examples of acoustic science used
in archeological studies...
Mayan Architecture
Peruvian Whistling Vessels
Daniel Statnekov claims that ancient clay vessels, relics of the
Inca Empire, are whistles whose sound has psychotropic effects. Entheosound makes modern
replicas of these whistles for sale.
The Irish Didjeridu
I have heard rumors of an ancient Irish instrument similar to the
didjeridu of native Australian cultures. I haven't found any hard
information, though. Anyone who knows about it, please contact me.
Dinosaur voices
I wrote a proposal to Skywalker Sound during the making of the movie
The Lost World, suggesting the synthesis of dinosaur
voices based on fossil records of their vocal anatomy. Synthesis of
human voices is a speciality of the
Speech Communication Group
where I work.
Unfortunately they didn't show any interest. Unlike Industrial Light
& Magic, which invested tremendous effort and research money to make
the computer generated dinosaurs look as realistic as possible,
Skywalker Sound used recordings of animal calls and some very simple
processing to create the audio effects. I still think this is a
worthwhile idea, but I don't have the wherewithal to pursue it.
Miscellaneous Biological Acoustics
Okay, so it's not archeology, but it's still cool science. Elephants
and whales use subsonic frequencies (below human hearing) to
communicate over vast distances. Insects communicate by sending
ultrasonic vibrations through the plant stems they climb on. More
cool examples and references as I can get them.
This page maintained by
Wil Howitt
Last updated 3 January 2000