Stone Age Soundtracks: The acoustic archaeology of ancient sites by Paul
Devereux, Chrysalis, £12.99, ISBN 184333447X
FRENCH archaeologists, deep in caves frequented by ice age artists, like to
explore the natural resonance of the dark chambers. Singing “mm” or “hmm”‘ works
best, with “strong harmonics, overtones and whistles”, and a tuning fork. Thus
the researchers were able “to locate the tonic”. Here’s hoping, after all that
effort, they found the gin too.
Meanwhile, stone circles reverberate to the sounds of an archaeologist and a
cybernetics professor, drumming at four beats a second. Paul Devereux and an
aerospace engineer use an…
