5 Ancient Places with Unbelievable Acoustics

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  • Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
  • Did you know that ancient acoustics can give us a peek into the past? Many ancient buildings & structures have incredible effects on sound waves, suggesting that early cultures built these spaces that way for a reason. By studying these ancient sites we can learn new things about the past and the people that lived there, thousands of years ago! Join Hank Green for an amazing acoustic adventure back in time.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 654

  • @OGSontar
    @OGSontar 3 роки тому +805

    We tend to forget that just because ancient peoples were not as technologically advanced as we are now, they were still just as smart. Trial and error are powerful tools.

    • @nemonomen3340
      @nemonomen3340 3 роки тому +132

      Honestly, intelligence was far more necessary for the survival of our ancestors than for ourselves. We could very well be getting less intelligent at this point.

    • @bayholeman9952
      @bayholeman9952 3 роки тому +79

      Jarrett Benning I have thought the same thing myself. Nowadays most workers are doing the same task over and over, when I worked in retail it was mind numbing. Even many educated people specialize in only one field. Meanwhile hunter gatherers had to understand every part of their environment and become skilled at a wide variety of jobs.

    • @blksmagma
      @blksmagma 3 роки тому +16

      Its still mind boggling to me that most of the architecture that was created in South America was done without the use of wheels. They hadn't been invented yet nor did they get imported until much later.

    • @CritterKeeper01
      @CritterKeeper01 3 роки тому +43

      blksmagma Actually, they apparently had little toys with wheels, it's just not practical to *use* wheels to transport much of anything on winding narrow trails up mountains through rainforests.

    • @SirGarthur
      @SirGarthur 3 роки тому +9

      We have lost about 10cc of brain mass since the dawn of civilization, from 60cc to 50cc according to theories based on the brain cavity size in ancestral humans. (Saw in documentary, need citation)

  • @freedapeeple4049
    @freedapeeple4049 3 роки тому +306

    I remember reading about how cave paintings are done in such a way as to produce a form of moving picture when illuminated by fire. How about a show on that?

    • @Gigipretty64
      @Gigipretty64 3 роки тому +7

      That would be fascinating.

    • @seaoftranquility7228
      @seaoftranquility7228 3 роки тому +1

      I’ve never heard of that. Sounds good.

    • @youretheai7586
      @youretheai7586 3 роки тому +3

      Painting with light? You're looking at it.

    • @francois-xavierdessureault8039
      @francois-xavierdessureault8039 3 роки тому

      I've never heard of that, but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to carve slits in a hollow log or a gourd, suspend it on a string above a fire and spin it quickly to achieve that kind of effect

    • @freedapeeple4049
      @freedapeeple4049 3 роки тому +6

      @@francois-xavierdessureault8039 No, thy were painted in such a way that as the fire flickered, different colors would come into prominence and create a sort of animation. Sorry I can't remember where/when I saw it.

  • @bobbie7618
    @bobbie7618 3 роки тому +313

    Several years ago I took a summer course on ancient Greek theatre that involved traveling around Greece and visiting various theatres and archeological sites, and I will never forget what it was like being in the theatron at Epidaurus while my professor stood in the orchestra and performed a section of the Iliad in ancient Greek. It was utterly eerie and the closest thing I've ever experienced to time travel (and also the site is chock full of very friendly cats, 10/10). Thanks for the fascinating video!

    • @helenastat3510
      @helenastat3510 3 роки тому +15

      Hi Bobbie, that sounds like a great experience. I am used to travelling around with fam all over Greece to explore our history. Can I ask the name of that course? Would be great to travel with a bigger group including archaeologists.

    • @bobbie7618
      @bobbie7618 3 роки тому +12

      @@helenastat3510 Hi Helen! Alas I was in undergrad at the time and it was a course I took through my university in Canada, which I don't think is even offered there anymore. It was all students and professors from the school who traveled abroad for a month.

    • @helenastat3510
      @helenastat3510 3 роки тому +5

      @@bobbie7618thanks Bobbie, yeah, I figured that. Would be great if something like this existed for non undergrads. Take care.

    • @CritterKeeper01
      @CritterKeeper01 3 роки тому +4

      Helen Thomas Check out Road Scholar, they have some fantastic educational tours and trips all over the world!

    • @hititwithit
      @hititwithit 3 роки тому +16

      When I was in Epidaurus about 15 years ago, there happened to be an opera singer in a group of tourists who sang a short piece. It was magical.

  • @TheGFeather
    @TheGFeather 3 роки тому +137

    I have played my violin in several Greek amphitheatres and modern performance venues really can't compare. I enjoyed Epidarus, but my absolute favourite amphitheatre is at Ephesus. I don't really have words for the experience of playing there. What I can say is that I spent over 5 hours playing. Someday I hope to do a live recording there. It's such a remarkable space.

    • @keep
      @keep 3 роки тому +4

      I hope you get that opportunity.

    • @MaryAnnNytowl
      @MaryAnnNytowl 2 роки тому +1

      What kind of music do you play, if you don't mind my curiosity? I really enjoy classical music on stringed instruments of all kinds, personally. 😊

    • @TheGFeather
      @TheGFeather 2 роки тому +4

      @@MaryAnnNytowl I trained classically, but these days I am predominantly a fiddler. I play most Canadian styles, though I tend to favour Cape Breton fiddling.
      When I went to Ephesus, I didn't play anything in particular, I just improvised. It was remarkable. If you want to listen to an amazing album, check out Oliver Schroer's Camino. It's a collection of improvised music he recorded in various small chapels and churches along the Camino de Santiago. You can hear the shape of the space he's playing in. Absolutely incredible.
      There is something about those kinds of spaces that pick up the music and lift it into something truly special.

  • @eleazarhinojosabarrera5839
    @eleazarhinojosabarrera5839 3 роки тому +286

    That piramid in Chichenitza Is the Temple of Kukulcán. El castillo Is the name given by Spaniard conquistadors. But everyone there knows it by the former (and cooler) one.

    • @NinaDmytraczenko
      @NinaDmytraczenko 3 роки тому

      +

    • @NatCo-Supremacist
      @NatCo-Supremacist 3 роки тому

      Latter name is cooler

    • @Jossandoval
      @Jossandoval 3 роки тому +12

      @@NatCo-Supremacist ​ @XORRE Hahaha, no. "El Castillo Pyramid" is, literally, "The Castle Pyramid". It not only sounds silly and grammatically weird, it also paints a very ridiculous mental image.

    • @landy9345
      @landy9345 3 роки тому +4

      @@NatCo-Supremacist It sounds horrible 😭

    • @NatCo-Supremacist
      @NatCo-Supremacist 3 роки тому

      @@landy9345 No.

  • @michaelteret4763
    @michaelteret4763 3 роки тому +789

    I’d be interested in seeing more episodes about acoustics and architecture.

    • @sanitysquota937
      @sanitysquota937 3 роки тому +6

      yes and send Miranda to test them

    • @ykendall9836
      @ykendall9836 3 роки тому +4

      Ditto

    • @vN2w3Z59BM
      @vN2w3Z59BM 3 роки тому +4

      That's engineering, not architecture

    • @RNCHFND
      @RNCHFND 3 роки тому +15

      With actual examples of the sounds, if possible

    • @darragho6358
      @darragho6358 3 роки тому +2

      This guy is on point

  • @YeeSoest
    @YeeSoest 3 роки тому +67

    That's one of mankind's biggest strengths: As long as we had enough experience with it, we don't need to understand HOW something works to harness and use it. how acoustics or farming worked on a scientific level was not neccessary to know, we had MILLENNIA to find out how to build and farm and THEN we had centuries to find out WHY we did it that way

    • @aquadark2291
      @aquadark2291 3 роки тому +6

      biggest strength and biggest weakness as it also leads us into trouble quite often.

    • @JustinMoralesTheComposer
      @JustinMoralesTheComposer 3 роки тому +5

      That’s how fermentation came about - cheese, beer, wine, etc - all without knowing what was going on on the microbial scale.

    • @NovaGirl8
      @NovaGirl8 2 роки тому +1

      @@JustinMoralesTheComposer and somebody brave enough to eat/drink them

  • @spikemaw
    @spikemaw 3 роки тому +12

    I sang at Epidaurus, very cool! A visiting professor clapped around the stage while we sat far up the stands, the closer his hands got to the centre of the stage, the louder it seemed. When his hands were just over the centre of the stage, it was like someone clapping in your ear!
    I also sang inside the beehive tombs of Mycenae, where the sound was amplified incredibly! A funeral held inside one must have been an experience!

  • @otomackena7610
    @otomackena7610 3 роки тому +49

    There are Musical pillars in Indian temples that are acoustically designed.

    • @Tazy50
      @Tazy50 3 роки тому

      inb4 some guy named Ranjinandu Pragnanandamiswamigamalundanathan says "yes ancient indians had space travel according to Vedas"

    • @otomackena7610
      @otomackena7610 3 роки тому +9

      @@Tazy50 temples and their pillars are literally there to see and hear. it is not a claim but some prejudiced people like to bring claims by some nutjob to deny the existence of real things.
      Gtugdjk says "yes ancient Greeks had space travel according Greek mythology " . So STFU.

    • @typacsk
      @typacsk 2 роки тому

      I think I read a book about that in high school ;)

  • @OmenAhead
    @OmenAhead 3 роки тому +25

    This is so damn fascinating for us music producers / sound engineers. In those structures, we see (and hear lol) things, like phasing, pitching, reverb etc, that we do in our studio with computers and other gear, happening physically in the real world!

    • @BRUXXUS
      @BRUXXUS 3 роки тому +2

      I was thinking, "I wonder if there's any IR, impulse response files floating around of these places?"
      Would be really cool to use in some music !

    • @OmenAhead
      @OmenAhead 3 роки тому +1

      @@BRUXXUS haha yeah, there might be out there. But i'm pretty sure you can get pretty close with just normal reverbs, delays and filters! Of course if you somehow hear some recording of these places

    • @TFZ1337
      @TFZ1337 3 роки тому +1

      This comment ☝
      I agree that learning stuff like this is a big help, definitely want to get into sound engineering someday.
      Also I find it fun to see how various speakers sound in different rooms, really helps in both my understanding and experience!

  • @lelandshennett
    @lelandshennett 3 роки тому +60

    Quick comment about the brains filling in the missing sound.
    There is an incredible book called “your brain on music” where in one of the chapters they discuss experimental evidence showing that our brain does fill in missing notes while listening to music. ❤️

    • @johnopalko5223
      @johnopalko5223 3 роки тому +18

      This phenomenon has been used by organ builders since the late 18th or early 19th centuries. If you don't have room (or funding) to build a 32' or 64' stop, you use shorter pipes that sound the harmonics that would be produced by longer pipes. Your brain just fills in the missing fundamental. They're called "resultant stops."
      Psychoacoustics is a fascinating field.

    • @classicalteacher
      @classicalteacher 3 роки тому +5

      Also jazz musicians leave out the 5th of a chord since the brain fills that in. It is the harmonic series: fundamental, octave, fifth, (2nd) octave, third, etc.... Strangely enough, the overtone series stretches out to become the blues scale.

    • @ykendall9836
      @ykendall9836 3 роки тому +3

      In orchestra, when wind instruments have long runs of 16th notes, a note here or there left out to catch a breath is definitely filled in. It’s wild.

    • @KlingerNevesOficial
      @KlingerNevesOficial 3 роки тому +2

      I've found two books with that title, being the authors Laura Saunders and Daniel Levitin. Which one would be?

    • @survivedandthriving
      @survivedandthriving 3 роки тому

      That is very interesting. Thank you! I will look up the book, and appreciate you sharing the reference with us. :D

  • @IQzminus2
    @IQzminus2 3 роки тому +17

    I love the idea that people through out ages have always liked to build and make cool or interesting stuff.
    The same joy I and most kids around the world archived from discovering how fun it is to yell in tunnels, human history have been filled with but with their realities equivalents.

  • @nealmusic
    @nealmusic 3 роки тому +8

    As an Applied Acoustics student myself, this is probably my favourite video now

  • @osmia
    @osmia 3 роки тому +14

    I really would like to be able to hear acoustic examples for each site contained within this video

  • @MrAshCarr
    @MrAshCarr 3 роки тому +15

    So, in the book "The Long Earth", there's a scene with two university students who have come out to some remote standing stones to test the acoustic of the stones themselves, but I didn't know that was an actual branch of archeology till now

  • @dogvetusa
    @dogvetusa 3 роки тому +12

    I would like to see some episodes on old architecture ways that help to cool the building without the use of an air conditioner. Such as layout designs for best airflow and materials used that allow for buildings to be cooler inside as one would get with stone constructions

    • @MaryAnnNytowl
      @MaryAnnNytowl 2 роки тому +2

      I believe they did one of those! I will check my playlists, and see if I can locate it. If I do, I'll come back and let you know the title so you can search for it. 🙂

  • @nj586
    @nj586 3 роки тому +46

    So, how was your last research project?
    - I was screaming at a replica of Stonehenge all day

  • @shashishekharsingh4652
    @shashishekharsingh4652 3 роки тому +16

    There are temples having musical pillars and tombs having echo chambers that amplify the slightest of whispers here in India. May be a similar topic of interest for you guys.

  • @Bhatakti_Hawas
    @Bhatakti_Hawas 3 роки тому +44

    In India, Golconda Fort, Gol Gumbaz, several monuments built by Mughals (eg Akbar's Tomb) have been acoustically designed
    If you speak in one part of the structure, a person standing several hundred feet away in designated locations can hear him speak

    • @maxplaysgamez-sharesgaming1756
      @maxplaysgamez-sharesgaming1756 3 роки тому +9

      Not Only That, There Were Amazing Indian Temples That Consists Of Musical Pillars Such As:
      1) Vijaya Vithala temple of 15th century in Hampi, Karnataka.
      2) Madurai Meenakshi temple in 16th century, Tamil Nadu.
      3) Suchindram Thanumalayan temple in 17th century, Tamil Nadu.
      ...That Were Capable Of Producing Wonderful Musical Notes Through Tapping Or Blowing Action Available For Everyone!
      It's Literally Incredible How Our Ancestors Are Capable Of Such Sophisticated Understanding Of Engineering Despite The Lack Of Assistance Of Modern Technology, But Only Through The Ingenuity Of Their Own Back In Their Time!

    • @Bhatakti_Hawas
      @Bhatakti_Hawas 3 роки тому

      @@maxplaysgamez-sharesgaming1756 Thnx bhai. I had no idea. Out of the three u mentioned, I have visited Meenakshi Temple only. But I don't remember seeing any musical pillars. Maybe bcoz I didn't explore the entire temple complex (its fricking huge)

    • @TheFourthWinchester
      @TheFourthWinchester 3 роки тому +1

      Lucky for Mughals they had the Indians to engineer and construct their structures.

    • @Bhatakti_Hawas
      @Bhatakti_Hawas 3 роки тому

      @@TheFourthWinchester Umm....The Mughals are Indians (except the Babur, the founder)

    • @otomackena7610
      @otomackena7610 3 роки тому +1

      @@Bhatakti_Hawas www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/musical-pillars-in-south-india-002021.html

  • @DimitriosSpyridonChytiris
    @DimitriosSpyridonChytiris 3 роки тому +12

    If you drop a coin in the centre of the stage in Epidauros the sound will carry up to the very last steps of the theatre, I have heard it.

  • @zakiducky
    @zakiducky 3 роки тому +60

    While it’s unlikely the ancient folks who designed and built these sites knew the underlying physics at play to the same level we do, there’s little doubt in my mind that the acoustics were intentional. I would posit that many of the phenomena were accidentally discovered at first, and then once the geometries involved in creating them were understood, the civilizations that made them reproduced them at a larger scale. Bear in mind that most ancient ruins that have survived the eons were important, culturally significant structures and were built to higher standards, with more detail, better materials, and superior craftsmen than typical structures. The stone monuments survive, but the average family’s wooden house does not. It’s logical for these central structures to have intentional, special acoustical properties just as we do with important cultural venues today.
    Tl;dr: It’s difficult to right off special acoustical phenomena popping up at important ancient cultural sites and monuments across civilizations and time repeatedly as being accidental.

    • @Elora445
      @Elora445 3 роки тому +8

      Hear, hear! This is exactly what I thought when watching the video. Just calling it an accident by that point is kind of insulting to our ancestors.

    • @Beryllahawk
      @Beryllahawk 3 роки тому +6

      I agree. They may have simply experienced the effects in natural caves and so on, and they might never have had quite the kind of technical terms we have now. But they would have known the basic "this shape of a wall makes the voice echo" quite well. And, because these were all "public spaces" in a sense - spaces intended for important social/emotional/religious happenings - they would indeed have had the best minds, the best hands, the best materials available.
      I would add to this - every one of these examples were designed to mystify, to enhance emotional responses AND to inspire a deep sense of awe and wonder.
      We already know that stone monuments of all sorts were basically always intended to inspire the viewers. Whether that was inspiring awe and respect for a king, or awe and fear of a deity, I think it's plain that a theater, a temple, a henge ALL share in common the wish to evoke strong feelings in their audiences. And so some portion of these designs is literally (sorry for the word play) for effect: precisely designed to get precise effects on the sounds made. Think about it: the builders and the priests were almost certainly better educated than the average layman in attendance at a temple. The layman would have had NO idea about the secret air ducts or special geometries or anything else. How much more powerful would a given event be if you experience sounds like no others you hear in your everyday life? Sounds you CAN'T explain for yourself? If the whole temple plaza is "singing" - could you not believe that the gods themselves are communicating with you? If you knew none of our modern day physics and science, and you heard that, would YOU believe it was just a dude with a conch shell in the basement? Of course not! (To be honest I probably wouldn't believe it even knowing some basic science!)
      But these are REALLY great examples of some of the best minds of their respective times. Us humans are pretty nifty from time to time. And we sound good too!

    • @bluejay3945
      @bluejay3945 2 роки тому

      How could they not understand the physics. Sorry but you don’t start carving and laying stone unless you have a design and a plan. No way they threw a bunch of stone together then sat around tweaking the stones to achieve an effect. It makes no sense.
      Archimedes In Sicily knew more physics than 99% of American high school students.

  • @marcwheeler4406
    @marcwheeler4406 3 роки тому +24

    Music was important to earlier people in history, that's why drums and wood (wind) pipes were always used in ceremonies...This is very interesting although I knew this cause I love historical sites and how people built with rocks...✌😷👋

  • @vgalea
    @vgalea 3 роки тому +10

    Hypogeum is worth a trip to Malta all by itself. Prepare for a mind blowing assortment of ancient structures, some older than the pyramids or Stonehenge, in a country the size of the city of Detroit.

    • @ianfarrugia4495
      @ianfarrugia4495 3 роки тому +3

      I was so surprised to hear him mentioning Malta, my home. I myself have never even been to the hypogeum as they only allow a limited number of people to access per year, so you have to plan your visit early

  • @Keiral92
    @Keiral92 3 роки тому +7

    I personally get this kind of vibe that you're describing in the last structure, when I listen to music like Heilung, Wardruna and the like.

  • @Starfals
    @Starfals 3 роки тому +15

    We have a very beautiful and well preserved Roman theater in my town. The singers that perform there indeed sound excellent. I dare say, they sound better than in an actual modern stage.
    Romans sure knew how to build them. Our modern theaters are already falling apart, even the new ones, but this single 2000 year old theater is still standing. Really makes you think.

  • @PacoTube926
    @PacoTube926 3 роки тому +2

    I've been watching the SciShow for about a year and I'm here just to say how much I appreciate Hank's effort when pronouncing Chichén Itzá, El Castillo, Quetzal, Chavín de Huántar, Lanzón. Nicely done for a non-native Spanish speaker, man! 🙌🏽

    • @elanzankman4399
      @elanzankman4399 8 місяців тому

      Those aren't even Spanish words dipshit. As a white American guy I feel so honored whenever I hear someone pronounce "burrito" correctly.

  • @macdietz
    @macdietz 3 роки тому +3

    I think this is one of the coolest scishow episodes ever

  • @Im_a_Bananatree
    @Im_a_Bananatree 3 роки тому +104

    Acoustic archeology sounds like a good song or novel.

    • @pjeaton58
      @pjeaton58 3 роки тому +2

      I dig it man !

    • @ag135i
      @ag135i 3 роки тому +5

      There are also acoustic weapons which can cause terrible pain.

  • @xmaswitguns
    @xmaswitguns 3 роки тому +4

    All of this would partly explain why throat-singing spans cultures across the globe.

  • @joshpittman1982
    @joshpittman1982 3 роки тому +7

    Sounds wonderful

  • @Aeturnalis
    @Aeturnalis 3 роки тому +11

    I had the pleasure of clapping at Chichen Itza in 2012. Also, next to the temple is a Pok-Ta-Pok court, where they played a Mayan sport that requires bouncing a ball off of the player's hip through a hoop; apparently, the ball bounce echoes on the temple and sounds even more like a bird than a clap does.

    • @asicdathens
      @asicdathens 3 роки тому

      I saw a "football' field like this in the Anthropology museum of Mexico city ( they even had a rubber ball in the exhibit) but the game was very brutal and many people were killed.

  • @seasaltpig
    @seasaltpig 3 роки тому +1

    I remember taking the tour at Hoover Dam and freaking out the tour when I would hum and set up a standing wave in the tunnel. I small hum at the right frequency made a very loud noise. The Hoover gods were very kind that day... :-)

  • @mimiteas
    @mimiteas 3 роки тому +4

    I remember when I visited the theater of Epidaurus, the guide threw a coin on the stage while I was way up high and I could hear that sound very clearly.

  • @mercyhallman3378
    @mercyhallman3378 3 роки тому +5

    We JUST talked about the theatre of Epidaurus in my music history class last week! Awesome to see a video like this from scishow, especially as someone who is studying music education in undergrad, and misses taking science classes so watches scishow all the time :)

  • @thestructuresguy8355
    @thestructuresguy8355 3 роки тому +25

    That's very interesting to me as a structural engineer. Thank you for this type of video. Keep up the good work!

    • @chloepeifly
      @chloepeifly 3 роки тому

      how did you watch the whole video!!

    • @Im_a_Bananatree
      @Im_a_Bananatree 3 роки тому +2

      @@chloepeifly not

    • @lelandshennett
      @lelandshennett 3 роки тому +1

      It’s funny because as a musician I also really loved this. I always knew there were two kinds of people watching this channel... actual scientists/engineers and stoners 😂

    • @thestructuresguy8355
      @thestructuresguy8355 3 роки тому +1

      @@lelandshennett it's interesting what engineers and musicians have in common!

  • @IsmailAbdulMusic
    @IsmailAbdulMusic 3 роки тому +3

    Fascinating to get a glimpse of past lives, civilizations and how the world looked waaay back

  • @glenngriffon8032
    @glenngriffon8032 3 роки тому +42

    So these ancient structures created by ancient peoples with astounding precision in their stonework produce unusual acoustics, in one case producing a sound very similar to the call of a bird sacred to the builders and we wanna say we can't be sure if the acoustics were intentional or a happy accident?
    I know the scientific process is about having an idea about a thing and then doing every test imaginable to prove the idea wrong or right, with many scientists being more excited about being proven wrong over being proven right, but it seems a little silly to me to think that these builders built these amazing structures and just accidentally produced these unique acoustical phenomena.
    Especially when some of these sites are conducted in the name of religious worship. Nothing motivates a people like faith and the ancient people were a lot more sophisticated than modern times want to give them credit for.

    • @mikemack7933
      @mikemack7933 3 роки тому +2

      These designs weren't an accident just as the universe did not evolve by accident therefore it must have been created by a creator just like these designs, created by men.

    • @paddor
      @paddor 3 роки тому +11

      You can not prove an idea (read: theory) right.
      But I am with you on this. These ancient people had the same physical and mental capacity as us. They didn't have electricity, no internet, no cranes, but they sure had a lot of knowledge and this was their entertainment. These theaters and places of worship were their youtube/TVs/cinemas.
      Of course they put all their brain power into building them to get the best experience. Just like we put all our brain power into getting the best sound quality from tiny headphones and the most fluid animations on the most brilliant, colorful displays in the palm of our hands and what not.
      Joe Scott recently made a video where he analyzed how long our human traces would last. Guess what: After just about 10k years, you'd barely recognize that we even existed. So I think it's plausible a LOT of the lifestyle and knowledge and even artifacts from ancient times are completely missing, so we assume all they had were those stone structures that we can see today. There was way more. Here's the video: ua-cam.com/video/xtJ49gXWwA0/v-deo.html

    • @WanderTheNomad
      @WanderTheNomad 3 роки тому

      In the end it's still speculation. You can't say it was on accident or on purpose for sure without some proof.

    • @nataliegiles2554
      @nataliegiles2554 3 роки тому +2

      Bruh I know right!! The sound on the structure mimicks the sound of the bird Quetzal, and their deity, Quetzalcoatl is named after it!! It's like they think we're dumb and ancient people couldn't possibly be smart enough to create something so intricate. It pisses me off lmao

    • @forrestjudd5542
      @forrestjudd5542 3 роки тому +1

      Right. It is beyond comprehension to undermine these ancient civilizations intelligence and awe-inspiring structures just because we no longer possess the same knowledge they once had. Instead of trying to deny their intelligence, we need to aspire in achieving our own intelligence to the same level.

  • @TransportRoutine
    @TransportRoutine 3 роки тому +6

    Been on Epidaurus and on other ancient greek theaters and as a greek I have to say that I am very proud of these structures and how they have been so well preserved during the centuries! Plus the acoustic is amazing!

  • @nathansamuelson
    @nathansamuelson 3 роки тому +2

    Love learning about the wild sciences ancient civilizations figured out early

  • @tenou213
    @tenou213 3 роки тому +1

    I had no idea this branch of study existed. Thank you so much!

  • @emilyreich7548
    @emilyreich7548 3 роки тому +3

    Been to the Stonehenge replica, can confirm, so cool.

  • @lhaveAfoot
    @lhaveAfoot 3 роки тому

    This is probably my favorite scishow episode that i've seen.

  • @dancingwiththedogsdj
    @dancingwiththedogsdj 3 роки тому +1

    Great video as usual. I love the quick doses of information and everything they generally provide... Love the SciShow programs ❤️

  • @DustinManke
    @DustinManke 3 роки тому +2

    I get so excited when I see a new discovery in the area of frequency and sound. With how prevalent it's been in worship and such, I wonder if we might rediscover a facet to sound we've lost since the stone age.

    • @craigb8228
      @craigb8228 2 роки тому +1

      I truly believe in the Tibetan Art of levitation with sound.

    • @DustinManke
      @DustinManke 2 роки тому

      @@craigb8228 I don’t want to say I believe one way or the other but I’m very hopeful that it’s true and it’ll be rediscovered some time in the near future.

  • @rayperkins6006
    @rayperkins6006 2 роки тому

    A few years back, I was privileged to watch a performance of Carmen in the large Roman Amphitheatre, in Verona. The whole event was delivered acoustically, without the use of electronic amplification. The sound quality was excellent.

  • @LazloVimes
    @LazloVimes 3 роки тому +5

    I could listen to him say ‘patutus’ all day :D

  • @sbrodie99
    @sbrodie99 3 роки тому +1

    I took a class that briefly touched on stuff like this and I LOVED it so THANK YOU for making this video ♥ I want to share it with everyone even though I know they're not as nerdy as I am about music and sound 😂

  • @RusTsea196T
    @RusTsea196T 3 роки тому +1

    I visited Epidaurus many years ago and remember that while standing in the uppermost bleachers you could easily hear the sound of footsteps on the gravel in the performance area.

  • @marisanya
    @marisanya 3 роки тому +7

    There’s plenty of reason to doubt that the greeks knew about the physics and science involved with the theatre on a technical level, but I would say that the observation of two similar sounds cancelling each other out or amplifying one another based on their distance from one another is something anyone with the need to look into that, such as an acoustics architect, could reasonably find with some simple experiments.
    If this is the case, then said archetect would have lined the steps at the distance he found best for reducing background noise. This would be my hypothesis, which obviously needs evidence to support it (which is probably non-existent).

    • @Salien1999
      @Salien1999 3 роки тому +2

      I was thinking either that, or more often, ancient architects would mimic eachothers work, so if one just happened to build a theater that amplified the right sounds, others would be more likely to copy it, and over time they'd improve.

  • @paulinasancheznavarrokelle8345
    @paulinasancheznavarrokelle8345 3 роки тому +1

    It so interesting that most of these were places of worship! We put more effort when we are thinking of bigger things!

  • @theanyktos
    @theanyktos 3 роки тому +1

    That was an incredibly interesting episode, keep it up:)

  • @furlizard
    @furlizard 3 роки тому +1

    That was even more interesting than I expected.

  • @jonathansanders9816
    @jonathansanders9816 Рік тому

    Dude, I subscribed 30 seconds in, I could tell this was a quality channel. Cool stuff!!

  • @chloepeifly
    @chloepeifly 3 роки тому +8

    gotta love being part of that notification squad :)

  • @KY_CPA
    @KY_CPA 3 роки тому

    Very well written episode. It (and Hank) did a great job of explaining the complicated concepts and giving examples that we lay people can understand!

  • @ianfarrugia4495
    @ianfarrugia4495 3 роки тому

    Wow, I wasn't expecting you to mention my home island of Malta! Super cool video

  • @allthegoodthings707
    @allthegoodthings707 3 роки тому +2

    Actors in the ancient Hellenic world also wore masks with built in megaphones. It probably helped to increase the frequency.

  • @elarhy
    @elarhy 3 роки тому +1

    Please also cover the acoustics of the silent spots, those places where, by some reason, You speak but no one can hear you

  • @ZoroarkChampion
    @ZoroarkChampion 3 роки тому +1

    The temple with the shells that acts like one big instrument sounds like an amazing Zelda dungeon

  • @ketsuekikumori9145
    @ketsuekikumori9145 3 роки тому +1

    This sounds amazing!

  • @Articulate99
    @Articulate99 2 роки тому

    Always interesting, thank you.

  • @Dovietail
    @Dovietail 2 роки тому

    My good friend, who has a lovely tenor speaking voice, has performed at Epidarus. He said the experience was incredible! Every utterance carried to the very back row.

  • @Radmonkeyboy
    @Radmonkeyboy 3 роки тому

    When I was at the Episkopi Amphitheater on Cyprus, I tested the sound clarity. It was amazing.

  • @amistry605
    @amistry605 3 роки тому +1

    I was hoping you'd do #2, the Chichen Itza one!

  • @MrVanillaCaramel
    @MrVanillaCaramel 3 роки тому

    This is wonderful!

  • @TheDreadedHope
    @TheDreadedHope 3 роки тому +3

    I like the idea of humans going "I like this shape. oh look there is a sound side effect "

  • @BustyNutz
    @BustyNutz 3 роки тому +5

    Chicken itza was crazy sounds like a star wars blaster when you clap Benn there fun place

  • @MaryAnnNytowl
    @MaryAnnNytowl 2 роки тому

    ‼️❓ I never even heard of acoustic archeology! That is so incredibly cool and fascinating! It's so _very_ interesting to think they may have already understood how acoustics work!
    Thank you very much for this one, especially, and for all you do, Hank, et al!

  • @samhakimi2
    @samhakimi2 3 роки тому

    the throne hall at Persepolis apparently also had unique acoustic and light amplifying design considerations. Highly polished and densely packed colonnade and a very high ceiling allowed for the king to speak to a large audience without having to raise his voice.

  • @jamiedye6005
    @jamiedye6005 3 роки тому

    This was so cool!

  • @PratabAli
    @PratabAli 3 роки тому +2

    My favourite part is when Hank says "Pututu" 🤣

  • @dlbstl
    @dlbstl 3 роки тому

    Fascinating!

  • @gabrielalejandromedelmende8183

    Amazing! I am from Mexico and I didn't know that Chichen Itza pyramid has acoustics properties like those.

  • @tangelopie600
    @tangelopie600 3 роки тому

    this video is fascinating!

  • @DistortedBird
    @DistortedBird 3 роки тому

    This is super interesting and now I have new fun facts to tell all of my friends

  • @colinhay1666
    @colinhay1666 3 роки тому

    It really seems like the ancients from the deep past are trying to communicate with the future simply via the mathematical patterns expressed via their architecture; astronomical alignments that model (among other things) procession and size of the earth, acoustics, golden ratios, cryptic messages or "we exist," fibbanacci sequences and more all stretching back as far as ten thousand years ago or more. It's really fascinating and continuously throwing a wrench in our understanding of the human story. To me it's most exciting frontier of discovery on our planet.

  • @jvbilodeau
    @jvbilodeau 3 роки тому +1

    as an audio engineer, sound designer, singer and voice over artist, a few things:
    1) resonance is everything. a couple mentions isnt enough.
    2) talking about specific individual frequencies without also referring to the harmonic series is quite sophomoric. Frequencies that invoke brain activity in language vs emotion is ... just not a thing. Language is all the frequencies, emotion is all the frequencies. Sine waves (waves of singular frequencies and no harmonics) don't occur in nature, so our brains didn't evolve to respond to them specifically.
    3) wind produces ALL frequencies, just at different amplitudes (see pink noise vs white noise). whispering is almost exclusively 1.5 kHz and higher.
    4) All human voices, male and female, of all voice types produce fundamental frequencies below 500 Hz. The harmonic series accounts for vowel intelligibility. consonants are almost exclusively 4kHz and higher.

  • @altman575
    @altman575 3 роки тому +1

    The ball court at Chichen Itza has a really cool acoustic element. There are throne seats on either end of the court. If you talk to the back wall of these areas, your voice will heard clearly on the other end. I have experienced this myself when I visited.

  • @YaGotdamBoi
    @YaGotdamBoi 7 місяців тому

    The original chamber for the US House of Representatives was like the stone hinge example-is, it still exists and you can take a tour to see it. It’s shaped to amplify the voices at regular speaking volume so that you can hear someone in the opposite corner as crystal clearly as if they were right up in your face. It’s eerie and effective.

  • @neutronpixie6106
    @neutronpixie6106 2 роки тому +1

    Seriously.... If you've never heard/watched Pink Floyd's Live from Pompeii, you're really missing out on a great audio experience, even though it was recorded in the 70's, the sound is phenomenal.

  • @livingbeings
    @livingbeings 3 роки тому

    best scishow ep ever

  • @tbella5186
    @tbella5186 Рік тому

    This reminds me of growing up in PaloDuro Canyon.
    There is a beautiful outdoor stage there.

  • @phreapersoonlijk
    @phreapersoonlijk 3 роки тому

    3:12 Thanks for the example ! :D

  • @blazingstar9638
    @blazingstar9638 2 роки тому

    Amazing and fascinating 💣✌️❤️

  • @rachaelb9164
    @rachaelb9164 2 роки тому

    Oh cool. That Stonehenge park isn’t too far from where I live. Totally surprised me when we drove by it once lol. I’m going to check that out next time we go to WA.

  • @TheReallyRealSatan
    @TheReallyRealSatan 3 роки тому

    We have a similar thing to Chichen Itza in the town I live in. We call it the clap and squeak. Stand in the middle on this circle, clap, and it comes back as a squeak sound. You can only hear it if you stand directly in the middle, otherwise it just sounds like a clap.

  • @boesvig2258
    @boesvig2258 3 роки тому +2

    Regarding Epidaurus: Wouldn't the sound waves mainly be bouncing off people in a packed theatre? The way Hank talks about how sound is reflected by the steps makes it sound like the theatre was constructed to be used without an audience.

  • @HzHz
    @HzHz 2 роки тому

    Royal Raymond Rife used Herts to heal people. Starforts & cymatics are very interesting as well.
    Thank you.

  • @jronkowski4346
    @jronkowski4346 3 роки тому

    Fascinating

  • @BobHutton
    @BobHutton 3 роки тому

    The acoustics at the Stonehenge replica at Esperance, Western Australia are amazing.

  • @aabbccddeeffgg1234
    @aabbccddeeffgg1234 3 роки тому +3

    So ancient people definitely had more knowledge of sound and architecture than we currently give them credit for. could also be evidence for ancient people being in more connection with each other than previously thought where they share or traded knowledge

  • @SaturnCanuck
    @SaturnCanuck 3 роки тому

    That is amazing

  • @schopenhauer5427
    @schopenhauer5427 3 роки тому

    This is so damn awesome

  • @betweenearthandsky4091
    @betweenearthandsky4091 2 роки тому

    please make more videos like this!

  • @stews9
    @stews9 2 роки тому

    Ancient sites resonate at 70 - 140 Hz for the same reason we sing hymns and the Zen do Ho drones; same reason there are bells, drums, and gongs; sound resonance, standing waves, and specific frequencies all produce somatic effects that elevate us, center and calm us, and let us find more of our humanity.

  • @mjisabelle18
    @mjisabelle18 3 роки тому

    The Mary Hill Stone Henge in Mary Hill, Washington is definitely worth visiting. Its a short stop but pretty cool. While you are there, also check out the Mary Hill Art Museum just down the road from it.

  • @shamusmcwright2640
    @shamusmcwright2640 3 роки тому +12

    Early people probably thought that shamans and clerics and whatnot had divine powers because of the sound effects

  • @99jdave99
    @99jdave99 3 роки тому +14

    super dumb that this video didn't include sound examples for any of these save for a two second example for the chichen itza. There REALLY should be examples for stuff like this.

    • @elfarlaur
      @elfarlaur 3 роки тому +2

      Copyright is a thing

    • @NajwaLaylah
      @NajwaLaylah 3 роки тому

      @@elfarlaur So is Fair Use. But maybe UA-cam's algorithms are privileged above the law.

  • @Srt3D01-db-01
    @Srt3D01-db-01 3 роки тому

    cool information as always. Besides the quetzal sound, on the same there is a massive sports field ( the one they use their hips to hit a ball). They have accoustics similar to the greek theatre shown. Basically you can stand in front and very away from the lets calls the referee chair and you can hear loud and clear . yep from very far away you can hear now tourist chatting if they are located on that spot... if they moved, then you cannot hear hear them now. pretty cool a visit to chichen is very well recomended.
    Also I remember watching an old probably early 2000 discovery channel doc on regards to the quetzal sound, they matched both soundwaves almost perfectly. pretty cool

  • @mrskitkats
    @mrskitkats 3 роки тому

    So interesting, especially as someone studying art history!