Aaron Watson Archaeology Research

My work explores the ways in which Neolithic monuments create dynamic multisensory experiences. In this project I focus upon the role of sound in the use of places such as Maeshowe and Stonehenge.

In the modern world we are familiar with the acoustics of large enclosed spaces. This would not have been the case for people over four thousand years ago, the majority of whom lived in timber-built houses. Large stone-built monuments like chambered cairns and stone circles were the only built places where they could have experienced effects such as standing wave resonance focused echoes.

While it is impossible to reconstruct the sounds of prehistory, an understanding of how prehistoric monuments direct the movement of sound might further our understanding of the ways in these structures were used and understood.