THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUND OF THE CULTIC THEATRE IN A GREEK CITY IN SICILY

Project Information

STESICHOROS

Grant agreement ID: 792058

DOI

10.3030/792058

Project closed

EC signature date 21 March 2018

Start date 1 May 2018

End date 30 April 2020

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 180 277,20

EU contribution

€ 180 277,20

Coordinated by

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STESICHOROS (THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUND OF THE CULTIC THEATRE IN A GREEK CITY IN SICILY)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2020-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The STESICHOROS project developed a new multidisciplinary analytical approach that models the relationship between the intangible aspects and the spatial configuration of performative spaces of the past in order to assess the risk of sonic heritage of a particular case study in Italy and to contribute to the monitoring of present-day sound and noise for the future management and preservation of historical cultural heritage. Despite significant past and current work on archaeoacoustics topic, no project up until now has approached these issues with a systematic and interdisciplinary effort. For the first time, all the results have been integrated into an innovative research method from which experimental interpretative 3D reconstructions integrating acoustic models can be created. As such, this research presents a novel model for future integrative scientific studies in the fields of digital heritage and of sound environment in sustainable spaces, and provides a new approach to reconstruct sound phenomena and auditory experience, stimulating the understanding of the role that sound plays in all aspects of society.

The project had the following interrelated primary objectives:
- To decipher the creation process of performative spaces in ancient cultures and to explore the acoustic reasoning and function through a key case study: sound and performative space environments of the theatral step at Selinunte has been analysed and assessed.
- To explore the reasons that led ancient cultures to create these spaces, as well as investigate how they experienced them by analysing both the physical acoustics and the way these acoustics shape what people perceive.
- To model the relationship between intangible acoustic aspects (soundscapes) and the spatial configuration of ancient theatres and related performative spaces in order to assess the risk of sonic heritage and to create an experimental interpretative 3D reconstruction integrating acoustic models for future management and preservation of their sonic heritage.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The archaeological site (Selinunte) was selected for the following reasons: 1) its important linear theatre, located very far from other constructions and modern life sound pollution; 2) it is among the oldest buildings in the ancient world located in natural places where unusual sonic relationships have been observed; 3) it facilitated a good balance between the effort required for fieldwork and studying the materials unearthed from the site for the duration of the project. On the basis of the conceptual foundation of the project, the research programme consisted of intertwined work packages: a fieldwork survey and field investigations of the selected theatre to document the stratigraphic profile in addition to the use of 3D methods for reconstructing size, shape and material structures; archaeoacoustics analysis, which provided the acoustic characteristics of the theatre in their current state. Furthermore, the creation of 3D models enabled the use of visual and sound virtual reality to experience and assess the sound response of a non-existent space; as this was the first study of its kind and a test case for most similar theatres, the data related to the selected theatre have been compared to the corpus of existing data related to ancient theatre acoustics. Finally, immersive audio-visual modes involved the development of interactive tools aimed at assessing risk of sonic heritage as well as at engaging visitors in exploring sounds in archaeological contexts.

The researcher carried out her research at the National Research Council in Italy, devoting her attentions towards archaeoacoustics and sound studies. The results of this research were presented at the Annual Meeting of the EEA 2018 in Barcelona (Spain) and at the Digital Humanities Conferences 2019 in Utrecht (Netherlands), and were accepted to be included in the International Journal of Archaeology of Sound (2021).

As the Chair of the Archaeomusicology Interest Group of the AIA, the researcher organised the Colloquium for the 120th Annual Meetings in San Diego (CA), The results of this Colloquium have been published in the article A. Bellia, Monumental Steps and Theatral Steps as Sacred Spaces for Performances, TELESTES, V, 2020, 75-95 and in the volume A. Bellia (ed.), Musical and Choral Performance Spaces in the Ancient World, Pisa-Roma, 2020 (the following text has been included: "This research has been funded by the Stesichoros projrect. This project has received funding from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 792058. Moreover, the results will be presented on 28 and 29 August at the EAA 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting (Papers title: 1. Digital Sensoriality and 3D Virtual Reconstructions of Ancient Musical Instruments; 2. Sounds and Social Synergies in the Performative Spaces of the Past). As the main organiser, she organised the session From Landscape Archaeology to Soundscape Archaeology for the EAA 2019 Annual Meeting (Bern). The results will be published at the end of 2021.

The researcher also improved her professional training in European projects management, marketing, communication and coaching. As a mentor of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Academy and the Joint European Mentoring Initiative Programme, she was also engaged in PhD and postdoctoral career development. She took part in the Annual Meetings of the EAA 2018 and 2019 Barcelona and in Bern respectively in order to promote MCAA’s activities and the community of MCAA archaeologists.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project achieved the following results:
1. This project created a field of comparative studies of digital heritage, while reconfiguring the interdisciplinary foundations of historical acoustemological research as a contextual experience of spaces. Performing analysis on the best sound effects in different locations will help significantly in establishing more precisely the resonance, reverberation, and echoes of theatres, combining their acoustic model with a new method for generating 3D models.
2. The project provided a knowledge base of the performative spaces’ soundscapes that is necessary if we are to better understand the nuances of life in the past. As further studies of soundscapes are undertaken, the everyday life of the past and the sounds that shaped it will enable us to better understand the complex relationship between buildings, performative spaces, social interactions and environment.
3. The results from digital models will be used for the advancement of technologies able to analyse any kind of sound pollution at cultural heritage sites, thereby managing their future preservation.
4. Paving a new theoretical path that links digital heritage and acoustic techniques, this project is expected to produce significant insights into performative spaces, and to provide the theoretical basis for exploring the acoustic properties of any archaeological space and architectural structure in the future.
5. The results can be used to create virtual reality products aimed at engaging users in the exploration of soundscape and to develop a research instrument for audio-visual experiences of different spaces in a new way. Using VR-simulated acoustic and visual environments, the results can be used to investigate the effects of interactions on soundscape and landscape perception with the goal of assessing the sustainable development of acoustic environments.

Patisserie with the Prof. - Marie Curie Alumni Association

Logo Stesichoros

Plenary Panel Discussion - ESOF 2018