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<< News >> 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics

Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 22 November 2001  Page Views: 16203

TV and RadioDid you see the recent TV programme on Channel 4 (UK). What did you think of it - leave a comment below. I've put together a list of resources - books, articles, sounds etc.

Most of it wouldn't be news to keen Radio 4 listeners. The dust patterns showing up standing waves in the Newgrange chamber is fascinating but I question the sound pressure levels you would need (high!) and the sustained (very even) resonance to allow the effect to build up. Overall an excellent programme though, they even got most of the sounds concepts correct and well explained. The archaeology will be more controversial but well researched - Mr Deverux's hand at work I think. We got some Richard Bradley and Barbara Bender (she was mostly edited out I guess!) but there could have been more. And at least they didn't repeat the reconstructions over and over too much.

This is an area I've been following for a few years as one of my professional interests is acoustics.
Andy

Note: See the comment by Paul Devereux below...

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"'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics" | Login/Create an Account | 6 News and Comments
  
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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Anonymous on Wednesday, 18 April 2018
I found the programme very adifying. It explained so much,not least the effort that was put into the construction of these sites.
I have yet to read your book but I am intrigued by the potential effects of standing waves on the brain.
There is much speculation as to the possible role of endogenous DMT produced by the pineal gland and its role in obtaining altered states of consciousness.
located very close to the centre of the cranial cavity it may be stimulated by vibration with the right frequency...
many eastern spiritual practices venerate the ohm sound, and I speculate if this is productive of a similar affect, and moreover they this was possibly accentuated of maintained with more consistency and less singular effort by sitting within a group making such a sound within one of these sites.
Further, I speculate that the orb and tuning fork-like headdresses of the ancient Egyptians may have had a similar function.
I wonder if similar research has been done on the ancient pyramids?
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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Andy B on Monday, 05 September 2011
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A link I found to watch this programme here (4 parts)

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/download.php?op=viewdownloaddetails&lid=160&ttitle=Sounds_from_the_Stone_Age_TV_programme
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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Andy B on Monday, 09 May 2011
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More:
The project web site:
http://www.landscape-perception.com/

Steven J. Waller's Rock Art Acoustics page

http://sites.google.com/site/rockartacoustics/

The Zobet frequency of 111Hz
http://www.asherahart.net/wordpress/zobet/the-zobet-frequency-of-111hz

Stone Age Soundtracks Book, Vega, ISBN1-84333-019-9
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Age-Soundtracks-Paul-Devereux/dp/184333447X

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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Anonymous on Tuesday, 02 March 2010
A while ago I was listening to Classic FM during a request slot - someone asked for a piece, and said that he'd been playing it at at full volume while driving, and as he went past Stonehenge, his speakers suddenly blew out.

I'd seen the tv programme, and wondered if he'd entered a "cone" of concentrated sound and his speakers had succumbed to the "throwback" (if I can call it that) from his music - if the system was already at full volume, there can't have been much room for a suden increase.

Helane
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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Anonymous on Wednesday, 22 March 2006
How did the people of NewGrange know/find out about sound waves?
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Re: 'Sounds of the Stone Age', or Prehistoric Acoustics by Anonymous on Thursday, 22 November 2001
(From Paul Devereux via Andrew Riley, Northern Earth)
Further to Andy Burnham's post re the 'Sounds from the Stone Age'
Channel 4 TV programme on 12 November, may I add a few points?

I thank him for his interest. Indeed it is the case that "Mr
Devereux's hand was at work". Along with my colleague Tony Edwards at
Third Eye Media, I have for well over two years now been trying to
get a TV programme shown on the nascent subject of acoustic
archaeology (you will recall the pioneering work on sound at
megalithic sites by Jahn and I was announced in an article in The Ley
Hunter 123, in 1995). One pitch after another to TV execs all proved
fruitless until we struck lucky at Channel 4 last year. The show was
then thrown into doubt by the foot & mouth crisis (we couldn't get
onto sites to film), but by this summer we were given last-minute
clearance. The concept, basic structure, necessary expert contacts,
and contents of the programme were provided by me. This material was
then converted into TV by Third Eye Media, and further glossed by the
director (who has veto power and controls the editing). So one
relinquishes considerable control. Nonetheless, I was reasonably
pleased with the outcome. There were a few minor errors of
archaeological information in the narrative commentary that I would
have corrected had I had the chance of hearing it before the prog was
finished, but it was basically OK.

Re Andy's specific concerns about the possibility of sound-generated
patterns in dust or incense smoke (or steam - see my STONE AGE
SOUNDTRACKS, Vega, 2001) inspiring some of the concentric and zigzag
rock art patterns at Newgrange. First, let me inform that I stated on
film that there are over 100 theories for rock art, and this was just
one more idea - unfortunately, this moderating perspective was edited
out (but is in my book). Second, it is possible to build up continuous
sound pressure by human action, using drums, certainly, or even just
the voice (ever heard Tibetan undertone chanting?). Further, and most
importantly, the way sound behaves in a small enclosed space is
dynamically different to open or wide spaces. You can actually
**hear** the pattern of a standing wave: quite close to a sound
source, for instance, when standing at the trough (node) of the
waveform, there can be silence - rather eerie for people who thought
of sound in supernatural terms rather than scientific ones. In
addition, there is the matter of the Newgrange passage blocking
stone. This is discussed at length in my book, but was edited out of
the film. With this stone (which exactly fits the entrance) in place,
the waveforms in the passage would have become intensified, while
midwinter sunrise sunlight shafting through the roof box could have
illuminated airborne components being organised by the sound waves.
So, it would have been possible - but whether it actually happened
is, as they say, another story. But a bit of lateral thinking is
always good exercise!

At the risk of making this sound like an advert, I would point out
that my book is the most comprehensive single-source work on acoustic
archaeology (and anthropology) currently available. Although it was
timed to come out with film (of course), it is far more than a "book
of the movie". In fact the reverse is the case - the film only
relates to about 2 chapters of the book, in which there is far more
detailed information (TV is a broad but shallow medium), and many
other aspects of sound in the ancient world are touched upon, ranging
from ringing rocks to musical stalactites to the use of sound to
control visionary experience under mind-altering drugs in ancient
rainforest rituals.

So please don't base all your thoughts just on the TV show: books have
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