Sound archaeology

Terminology, Palaeolithic cave art and the soundscape

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3919212
AutoresRuth Till (0000-0001-5689-3061, University of Huddersfield, autor de correspondencia), Rupert Till
Año2014
Volumen46
Número3
Páginas292-304
Fecha de publicación2014-05-27
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00438243.2014.909106
OpenAlexW2023836841
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas22
Referencias citadas25

This article is focused on the ways that terminology describing the study of music and sound within archaeology has changed over time, and how this reflects developing methodologies, exploring the expectations and issues raised by the use of differing kinds of language to define and describe such work. It begins with a discussion of music archaeology, addressing the problems of using the term 'music' in an archaeological context. It continues with an examination of archaeoacoustics and acoustics, and an emphasis on sound rather than music. This leads on to a study of sound archaeology and soundscapes, pointing out that it is important to consider the complete acoustic ecology of an archaeological site, in order to identify its affordances, those possibilities offered by invariant acoustic properties. Using a case study from northern Spain, the paper suggests that all of these methodological approaches have merit, and that a project benefits from their integration

Affordance · Soundscape · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology