Caves, megaliths and reverberations

Some scholars have highlighted a strong correlation between Paleolithic art (cave paintings, but also megaliths and pyramids) and the particular acoustic properties of the places where it was created.

Starting with cave paintings, Iegor Reznikoff of the University of Paris has noted that the areas of caves where sound is most reverberant are also those where the greatest quantity of paintings and engravings is found. And when these resonance points are located in the narrowest passages, where painting is most difficult, it is a clear signal: the acoustic quality of a place was very important to our ancestors even in prehistoric times.

Steven Waller discovered a similar correlation between the location of rock carvings and particular echo characteristics in selected locations.

We have no idea what sounds were produced in these places. Presumably, their origin was vocal and percussive, but flutes made from animal bones have also been found at some sites.

Studies have also been conducted on the acoustics of ancient buildings. Aaron Watson and David Keating have shown that the internal chambers of megalithic tomb monuments in the British Isles often resonate at frequencies of 1 to 7 Hertz. It follows that a rhythm whose metronome is a submultiple of the resonant frequency is amplified, with notable effect.

Other studies (Robert Jahn and Paul Devereux) have discovered resonances in the range of 95–120 Hz, which corresponds to the lower register of the baritone voice.

All this is fascinating because it demonstrates the importance of environmental acoustic qualities for our distant ancestors.

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