Acoustic echoes may have inspired prehistoric rock art

In a world where the mysteries of early mankind continue to captivate us, a team of researchers has unveiled a fascinating connection between prehistoric rock art and acoustics, hinting towards a purposeful selection of sites for their sound-reflecting properties.

This intriguing connection could offer insights into our ancestors’ perceptions and how they interacted with their environment.

The investigation into this peculiar aspect of prehistoric rock paintings began at the University of Helsinki, where an enthralling project took place.

Researchers posed the following question: were rock painting sites randomly selected, or did they have certain unique attributes that appealed to our ancestors? They found the answer in an unexpected form – sound.

A symphony carved in stone

Testing a wide range of rock painting sites, the team performed acoustic impulse response measurements in front of 37 such locations.

The researchers discovered that the same vertical rock surfaces showcasing the painted elk, humans, and boats were also excellent sound reflectors. Their findings, which were indeed unusual, were published in the journal Sound Studies.

It seems that our ancestors’ choice of art location – often cliffs adjoining lakes – was also acoustically special.

When the lake levels remained stable, the exceptionally sleek rock surfaces generated distinct single-repeat echoes. These auditory mirror images seem to emanate from behind the rock walls, giving an illusory perception of reality.

The sound of prehistoric art

However, jagged lakeshore cliffs and contemporary dwelling sites on the sandy shores of the same water bodies were found to produce much weaker or barely any audible echoes.

Collecting acoustic data required a unique approach. The researchers used a custom-designed recording raft or took measurements during winter from the frozen lake surface.

The data underlined an engrossing fact – the hunter-gatherers approaching the rock painting sites by water were entering an extraordinary sensory environment where reality sounded doubled.

“According to the psychoacoustic criterion used, the echoes are so strong that there is no reason to assume that the people in the past did not hear them,” said archaeologist Riitta Rainio.

“So, people heard the painted elks talking and the human figures responding with a voice that resembled their own.”

Rock paintings by the water

Ethnomusicologist Julia Shpinitskaya expressed considerable excitement over the project’s outcomes.

“Although the sounds produced by prehistoric people are beyond our reach, this study brings out one key feature of the sensory experiences associated with rock paintings by the water – that sound reflections strongly participated in the activities, making the cliffs energetic and active agents,” said Shpinitskaya.

The likelihood of communicating reciprocally with the physical environment or more-than-human reality might have been a vital reason why these cliffs were visited and decorated by ancient artists, and why offerings were left in them.

Offering a new perspective on the history of sound and music, this study illuminates how meaningful sound reflections could have been in past societies.

Prehistoric art and the human-sound connection

The discovery of the connection between acoustics and prehistoric art offers a fascinating glimpse into the ways in which early humans perceived and interacted with their environment.

For ancient hunter-gatherer societies, these sound-reflecting cliffs may have been more than just visually compelling canvases – they were vibrant, multisensory spaces that resonated with cultural and spiritual significance.

The interplay of visual artistry and acoustic phenomena suggests that prehistoric art was not merely decorative but deeply integrated into the rituals, myths, and practices of early communities.

Evoking a sense of the supernatural

By painting these vertical rock faces, early humans could have been creating a space where art and sound merged to evoke a sense of the supernatural.

The echoes may have amplified the artistic expressions, creating a dynamic experience where the visual representations of animals and humans seemed to come alive through sound.

This synthesis of visual and auditory stimuli potentially played a critical role in shaping the people’s understanding of the world and their place within it, making prehistoric art a profound reflection of their sensory and cultural landscape.

The full study was published in the journal Sound Studies.

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