Miriam Kolar, "Tuned to the Senses: An Archaeoacoustic Perspective on Ancient Chavín"

01/28/14 • -1 min

I have been interested in sensory history for a long time now, so the chance to read aloud this article by Miriam Kolar on the archaeoacoustics of Chavin de Huantar, a UNESCO site in the Peruvian Andes, is exciting. In the article, the interplay between ritual, musical instruments, and architecture is explored in order to reconstruct the experience of the oracle. Not only does the article present a rich analysis of the site, it introduces readers (er, listeners) to the methodology behind archaeoacoustics and the ways in which archaeologists reconstuct ephemeral evidence in order to understand individual and communal experiences. Although we travel away from the Mediterranean for this article, the methods, theory, and hypotheses that underpin it are important for every archaeologist, historian, or philologist.
The Journal: Here.
The Article: Here
Download from iTunes: Here
Feedburner: Here

Previous Episode

Tony Freeth and Alexander Jones, "The Cosmos in the Antikythera Mechanism," ISAW Papers 4 (2012).

"Abstract: The Antikythera Mechanism is a fragmentarily preserved Hellenistic astronomical machine with bronze gearwheels, made about the second century B.C. In 2005, new data were gathered leading to considerably enhanced knowledge of its functions and the inscriptions on its exterior. However, much of the front of the instrument has remained uncertain due to loss of evidence. We report progress in reading a passage of one inscription that appears to describe the front of the Mechanism as a representation of a Greek geocentric cosmology, portraying the stars, Sun, Moon, and all five planets known in antiquity. Complementing this, we propose a new mechanical reconstruction of planetary gearwork in the Mechanism, incorporating an economical design closely analogous to the previously identified lunar anomaly mechanism, and accounting for much unresolved physical evidence."
Link to article: Here.
Link to journal: Here.
Feedburner link: Here.
Link to iTunes: Here.