Archaeoacoustic analysis of a dolmen on Mount Freddone, Italy

Paolo Debertolis*, Natalia Tarabella**, Lorenzo Marcuccetti**

*Department of Medical Sciences - University of Trieste, Italy

**SB Research Group, Firenze, Italy

Abstract — Archaeoacoustic analysis provides a complementary method to understand archaeological sites as opposed to a stand alone methodology. Such analysis however, can provide useful insights in cases where there is little or no historical documentation. In such cases, a medical anthropological approach can explore any connection between the structure and the interaction with the human physiological can provide insight. This study of a Neolithic dolmen located on a peak in the Apuan Alps, Italy has no historical documentation. A medical anthropological approach was applied to the archaeoacoustic results and compared to a dolmen in Portugal. Subsurface vibrations, which have the effect of entering the brain into a relaxed state, are present. Indeed, the large dolmen stones act like a transducer distributing strong infrasonic vibrations directly above and below the capstone. In the past this site covered a larger area than that found in the present day; on the opposite side of the mountain lie collapsed stones from another dolmen and a nearby quarry provides evidence of where the stones were mined. Both dolmens are orientated towards the equinox.

Keywords - archaeoacoustics, dolmen, Apuan Alps.

Proceedings in Scientific Conference “The 6^th International Virtual Conference on Advanced Scientific Results (SCIECONF-2018)", Slovakia, Žilina, June 25 - 29, 2018; Volume 6, Issue 1, pp. 101-108.

Published by: EDIS - Publishing Institution of the University of Zilina, Univerzitná 1, 01026 Žilina, Slovak Republic.

ISBN: 978-80-554-1234-4 ISSN: 1339-9071

You can find the original article in English here.

You can find the original article on the web site of the Congress here.

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