Cave acoustics in prehistory: Exploring the association of Palaeolithic visual motifs and acoustic response

During the 1980 s, acoustic studies of Upper Palaeolithic imagery in French caves—using the\udtechnology then available—suggested a relationship between acoustic response and the location of\udvisual motifs. This paper presents an investigation, using modern acoustic measurement techniques,\udinto such relationships within the caves of La Garma, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, El Castillo, and\udTito Bustillo in Northern Spain. It addresses methodological issues concerning acoustic measurement\udat enclosed archaeological sites and outlines a general framework for extraction of acoustic features\udthat may be used to support archaeological hypotheses. The analysis explores possible associations\udbetween the position of visual motifs (which may be up to 40 000 yrs old) and localized acoustic\udresponses. Results suggest that motifs, in general, and lines and dots, in particular, are statistically\udmore likely to be found in places where reverberation is moderate and where the low frequency acoustic\udresponse has evidence of resonant behavior. The work presented suggests that an association of the\udlocation of Palaeolithic motifs with acoustic features is a statistically weak but tenable hypothesis, and\udthat an appreciation of sound could have influenced behavior among Palaeolithic societies of this\udregion