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A mini-version of Stonehenge could help discover the acoustic capabilities of the English megalith, according to scientists who have reconstructed the historic site of a twelfth of its original size.
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The mini model expands 2.6 meters from one end of the circle to the other and beats all other Stonehenge replicas, such as the normal size one near Maryhill in Washington, because it was created using laser scanning data.
Acoustics of an ancient site revealed
Trevor Cox, professor of acoustic engineering at the University of Salford in England, who was part of the research team, said: "The problem with our other models is that the stones are not quite the shape and the size, and how the sound interacts with the stones critically depends on the shapes. "
The team used archaeological work to reconstruct the prehistoric monument and its appearance 4000 years ago.
Originally, Stonehenge had 157 stones, today only 100 stay. In this reply, the team built the model using the original alignment of 157 stones.
How did the team build a version closer to the current Stonehenge?
For #Acousticiens Here are the preliminary results of the Stonehenge model RT for 12 positions we measured. The picture also shows the source and receiver we use for the ultrasound test @salfordscience pic.twitter.com/LYk10XlaMZ
– Trevor Cox (@trevor_cox) July 11, 2019
According to Cox, "You print them in 3D, then you make silicone molds, then you mold them in a mix plaster-polymer, then you paint them with paint for car". He added: "I ruined the floor of my dining room."
Low frequency sounds
"If you were to speak in a movie theater, it's probably roughly the acoustics we're getting," Cox said.
The team tests were conducted inside an acoustic chamber and they looked for effects such as speech intelligibility and airborne resonance.
They are dummy is also 1:12 because they have mixed inches and feet! https://t.co/WI19g36UxT
– Salford Acoustics (@SalfordAcoustic) July 12, 2019
In addition to being visually impressive, the auditory environment of Stonehenge would have been different for prehistoric people unaccustomed to reverberant spaces, unless they know the caves.
The goal of Stonehenge remains a controversial debate among scholars and laypersons. Cox is convinced that the acoustic virtues of the site were a by-product of the structure.
"If you had to hold a ceremony and had a lot of people to talk to, doing it outside the stones would be a lot harder than if you were doing it in the stones [circle]"said Cox.
Some think that Stonehenge may have been used for religious or political reasons, while others think it was a prehistoric astronomical observatory. If what Cox believes to be true, the site would have been ideal for mysterious rites or ceremonies, as his extraordinary auditory qualities would have been useful for large gatherings.
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