Researchers studying prehistoric rock art sites in Finland’s Lake District think that these locations gave ancient hunter-gatherers a “multisensory experience.” Essentially, in layman’s terms, these researchers theorize that these ancient humans toyed around with a kind of prehistoric surround sound that created an auditory “mirror image” of the interpretation of reality that they painted onto the rocks.
The areas all had unique acoustic properties. These areas were often used as giant canvases and the humans from 5,000 BC to 1,500 BC painted images of humans, boats, drummers, and animals. These sites, which were likely visited for ceremonial purposes, were found to be rather echo-y, adding some life and depth to speech and ceremonial drumming that amplified the auditory experience, pairing well with the images drawn onto the cave walls, thus producing a primitive version of those full movie theaters you see in rich people’s houses on Zillow.
The researchers, led by Riitta Rainio, an archaeologist from the University of Helsinki in Finland, measured the auditory properties at 37 different locations to determine how the nearby cliffs and lakes reflected sound. The team determined that the soundscapes of these ancient sites have remained unchanged throughout the centuries. They measured the acoustics by recording sounds from the perspective of people approaching the sites in a specially designed boat or on a frozen lake during the winter.
They then took all the data and turned it into videos that attempted to re-create the ways ancient peoples used to hear sounds that reflected off of the various surfaces.
The researchers found that the sound seemed to emerge from behind the cave paintings, providing the illusion of the paintings coming to life. The researchers call it a “multisensory experience” for the prehistoric folks visiting the sites. I like to think of it more as these people having invented prehistoric movies.
The post Ancient Humans Invented Movie Theaters Using Rock Art and Echoes appeared first on VICE.
The post Ancient Humans Invented Movie Theaters Using Rock Art and Echoes appeared first on VICE.
