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Saving the sounds of our distant past

By Charles Choi

7 December 2002

THE unique acoustics of ancient monuments around the world are facing destruction, claim researchers pushing for legislation to protect the echo-rich qualities of prehistoric sites. Scientists meeting at the First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics in Cancún, Mexico, this week are making the plea as they highlight the importance of acoustics in sites from painted caves to pyramids.

Rock art expert Steven Waller says the acoustics of ancient sites reveal much about the people who built them. Waller and others have taken sound recordings of echoes around 150 different archaeological sites. He told the conference that at many sites, including…

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