Shelters with echoes thought to be preferred sites for prehistoric rock art

March 1, 2018 by Catherine Collins, Horizon: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine



Scientists believe that rock art sites were chosen for their visual and acoustic properties. Credit: Curt Harrell


The acoustic qualities of a rock shelter may have been a key factor in its selection as a site for rock art and indicate a spiritual significance to the practice, according to a recent study, while scientists are also looking into whether some caves were chosen as artistic sites because of the view.

Professor Margarita Díaz-Andreu and Dr. Tommaso Mattioli, both from the University of Barcelona, Spain, spent two years visiting rock art sites in France, Italy and Spain to compare acoustics and assess their relevance to the choice of location.

'In a cliff such as Baume Brune (in Vaucluse, France), with 43 shelters, why were only eight selected to be painted?' said Prof. Díaz-Andreu. 'There are other apparently similar ones nearby that were left empty. Why?'

Armed with a specialised portable tool for measuring acoustics, the researchers showed the rock art sites studied have distinct acoustic features.



Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-echoes-thought-sites-prehistoric-art.html#jCp