Ancient communication devices

[rich]

The reason I'm opening this is to get a handle on the many forms of long range communication devices the ancients could have used for land or sea.

I can name several:
Drums
Fire
Smoke
Horns
Reflected light
Didgeridoos
Bullroarers

Of these the bullroarer is interesting - just a plank of wood basically with a string and you twirl it. Whats interesting is it's found all over the world, Europe, Asia, India, America, Australia.
In the Americas it was used by a number of tribes - Athabaskan, Hopi, Aztec, Navajo, Apache, and more.
According to Wiki it dates back to around 17000 BC. They give a descent description of it and how it's used ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullroarer_(music) )

On this site the Aborigines call it the "voice of god" - http://9waysmysteryschool.tripod.com/sa ... s/id9.html

Any body got any other forms the ancients could have used?
It also appears to be used in Shamanism.

[john]

The reason I'm opening this is to get a handle on the many forms of long range communication devices the ancients could have used for land or sea.

I can name several:
Drums
Fire
Smoke
Horns
Reflected light
Didgeridoos
Bullroarers

Of these the bullroarer is interesting - just a plank of wood basically with a string and you twirl it. Whats interesting is it's found all over the world, Europe, Asia, India, America, Australia.
In the Americas it was used by a number of tribes - Athabaskan, Hopi, Aztec, Navajo, Apache, and more.
According to Wiki it dates back to around 17000 BC. They give a descent description of it and how it's used ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullroarer_(music) )

On this site the Aborigines call it the "voice of god" - http://9waysmysteryschool.tripod.com/sa ... s/id9.html

Any body got any other forms the ancients could have used?
It also appears to be used in Shamanism.

Rich -

This may be of interest to you.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/onli ... xbntm.html

Bullroarers, like hematite, are

Another classic example of Multiple Simultaneous Independent Invention,

.........Seeing as how early man had real difficulty traveling

Overland, let alone using watercraft to travel large

Freshwater bodies or the seas..........

Please refer your enquiries to The Club

For a "real" analysis of this phenomenon.


hoka hey


john

and a couple more;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithophone

http://ejournal.anu.edu.au/index.php/bi ... ewFile/8/7


j

[rich]

Ah yes - the "Club" - I'm sure they were there too

But I did find that link interesting. Added it to my favs list too (which with all the separate folders) now probably has about 40 different folders - with a minimal of 15 links in them - and some have about 40-50 links). Worst part is I actually get to use most of them frequently!

And yup - tghe bullroarers are a lot like the hematite - one of the reasons I singled it out. How good are they for communications over a distance on water??

[Sam Salmon]

Thought by some to predate wooden Drums-Rock gongs-stones used as resonators to broadcast sound.

[rich]

Never heard of them before - how do they work?

[rich]

How about birds? Anything in old legends about birds being used as signaling devices between boats??

[john]

All -

Just for fun............

http://australianscreen.com.au/titles/c ... -II/clip2/


john

[War Arrow]

Depends what you'd call ancient but the Mexica/Acolhua/Tecpanec Triple Alliance (or Aztecs if you like) reputedly had a far reaching network of couriers - paths with runners set apart by a few miles. The upshot of this was that a message could be sent to from Tenochtitlan in the morning, and would reach the Gulf coast by evening with each runner carrying said message a few miles. This is described in a few colonial sources (I think Diaz, Zorita and Mendieta - though could be wrong) though I'm really not sure how reliable the info is.

[neilmarr]

I'd heard of bullroarers, but had quite the wrong idea of what they were and how they sound.

If you're interested in the scary -- but no doubt far-reaching -- howling, here's a demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvNR9Xo8z3M

What's interesting is that pitch is easily adjusted, so I reckon an expert sender could no doubt broadcast some fairly detailed information to an equally experienced distant audience.

Native Australians call the instrument a 'wife caller'. Makes sense that these ranging hunters might well signal their wives and children to join them at the site of a kill, I guess, and the bullroarer would appear to be a most portable device.

Cheers. Neil

[john]

Depends what you'd call ancient but the Mexica/Acolhua/Tecpanec Triple Alliance (or Aztecs if you like) reputedly had a far reaching network of couriers - paths with runners set apart by a few miles. The upshot of this was that a message could be sent to from Tenochtitlan in the morning, and would reach the Gulf coast by evening with each runner carrying said message a few miles. This is described in a few colonial sources (I think Diaz, Zorita and Mendieta - though could be wrong) though I'm really not sure how reliable the info is.

Wr Arrow -

Don't forget about the use of the Quipu, which the runners you mention often carried.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu

http://agutie.homestead.com/files/Quipu_B.htm


hoka hey


john

[Sam Salmon]

Never heard of them before - how do they work?

One stone is struck upon another larger one and the sound carries a very long way.

Seems to me I read about them over 15 years ago maybe it was Archaeology Mag, I do remember it was southern Africa for sure.

[john]

Never heard of them before - how do they work?

One stone is struck upon another larger one and the sound carries a very long way.

Seems to me I read about them over 15 years ago maybe it was Archaeology Mag, I do remember it was southern Africa for sure.

Sam, Rich -

Couple for ya.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3520384.stm


and

Rock Art Acoustics in the
Past, Present and Future
The relationship of sound and rock art is reviewed. Ancient legends of supernatural
explanations for echoes are summarized. The hypothesis that unusual acoustics such as
sound reflection influenced the selection of rock art sites and subject matter is examined.
Techniques that have been used for studying the relationship between acoustics and rock
art are described. Results to date are reviewed, including the following new results: 1)
a systematic quantitative study of Hieroglyphic Canyon, Arizona, showing the main
rock art panels occur at the location possessing the greatest intensity of sound reflection,
and 2) quantitative measurement of a ringing rock at Painted Rocks State Park near Gila
Bend, Arizona, to characterize the resonant frequency and resonance time. Anticipated
future methodological approaches are discussed. Conservation of the natural acoustics
at rock art sites is urged.
El conexión del arte del sonido y de la roca se repasa. Las leyendas antiguas de las expli-
caciones supernatural para las generaciones de eco se resumen. Se examina la hipótesis
que la acústica inusual tal como reflexión sonido influenció la selección de los sitios del
arte de la roca y del tema. Se describen las técnicas que se han utilizado para estudiar el
lazo entre la acústica y el arte de la roca. Los resultados hasta la fecha se repasan,
incluyendo los nuevos resultados siguientes: 1) un estudio cuantitativo sistemático de la
Hieroglyphic Canyon, Arizona, mostrando los paneles principales del arte de la roca
ocurre en la localización que posee la intensidad más grande de la reflexión sonido, y 2)
la medida cuantitativa de una roca de sonido en el Painted Rocks State Park cerca de la
Gila Bend, Arizona, para caracterizar el tiempo de la frecuencia resonante y de la reso-
nancia. Se discuten los acercamientos metodológicos futuros anticipados. La conser-
vación de la acústica natural en los sitios del arte de la roca se impulsa.
Steven J. Waller
Ph.D in Biochemistry.
Research since 1987 on
acoustic testing of rock art
environments.
A
ccumulating evidence suggests that acoustics
may have been a motivating influence for the
production of a substantial proportion of the
rock art found around the world. Sound — in the
form of echoing, reverberation, resonance (Bjork
1997; Hedges 1993; Dauvois 1996; Dauvois and
Boutillon 1990; Ouzman 1997, 2001; Reznikoff 1995;
Reznikoff and Dauvois 1988; Steinbring 1992; Waller
1993a, 1993b, 2000a, in press) and ringing rocks (see
below) — appears to have been a determinate for the
selection of location and/or subject matter in a large
number of cases.
It is a fact known through numerous ethnograph-
ically documented legends that most ancient cultures
held the belief that certain natural phenomena were
caused by supernatural beings. This type of belief is
categorized as “animism”, a form of personification.
One complex natural phenomenon that was personi-
fied by ancient cultures is echoing, which has been
explained only in modern times by invisible sound
wave reflections. Legends documented from around
the world show that echoes were perceived as ema-
nating from spirits or were considered spiritually
important. Examples include the following:
1) Europe: The Greek nymph Echo was thought to be
responsible for repeated words (Bonnefoy 1992).
2) South Pacific: “Echo as the bodiless voice, is the earliest
of all existence” (Jobes 1961).
3) North America:
3A) A Paiute legend describes witches (tso-a-vwits) living
in the belly of mountain sheep and in snakeskins hid-
den among rocks, from which they take great delight
1999 IRAC Proceedings, Volume 2, P. & W. Whitehead and L. Loendorf, Editors, American Rock Art Research Association, 2002, pp. 11-20
12
in repeating in mockery the words of passersby. (Gill
and Sullivan 1992:79).
3B) The Acoma migration story describes Masewa (son of
the sun) leading the people out of the place of emer-
gence, heading for a place called Aako. As they travel
they come upon different places they suspect might be
Aako. To test each one, Masewa calls out in a loud
voice, ‘Aaaakoooooo!’. If the echo resounds, the peo-
ple stay to test the place further. If the echo is not
good, they simply pass it by. At a place just east of
Acoma, the echo is perfect, and Masewa announces
that this is Acoma.” (Gill and Sullivan 1992:4,5).
(Interestingly, Petroglyph National Park is located at
the eastern border of the Acoma aboriginal land claims,
and was found by the author to produce excellent
echoes.)
3C) A site called “Wikwip” in California contains rock art
for which there exists ethnographic information that
the paintings were made by men preparing for ceremo-
nial dances. The site name means Echo Rock, and is
derived from the sound-focusing acoustical characteris-
tics of the cave (Hedges 1993).
3D) The Navajo Night Chant (Yeibichai) includes offering
of prayers to the divinity Echoing Stone on the first
day of purification (Highwater 1984).
3E) The Twin Palongawhoya (Echo) features prominently
in Hopi creation myths (Williamson 1984).
3F) Diverse Native American traditions describe Talking
Rocks or hold that the “rocks will speak”. (Perhaps
this phrase should be taken literally, since at many
rock art sites one can experience words bouncing off
the rock surface where the art occurs, and it does
indeed give the impression that the rock is speaking.)
4) Central America: The Aztec earth and cave god called
Tepeyollotl was thought to cause echoes.(“Tepeyollotl”
Encyclopedia Mythica)
5) South America: In Chile, rock art is found in locations
associated with a mythological being known as
“sereno”, who lives where the water sounds; also in
Chile there is a rock art painting called Diablo at a site
that makes a noise that frightens the villagers when the
wind of a dust devil strikes the rock (Claudio Mercado,
personal communication 1998).
6) Asia: Echoes have religious significance to members of
an indigenous tribe of India called the Korku. This
tribe continues to produce rock art today, using echoes
as a selection criteria for choosing which caves to paint
(Somnath Chakraverty, personal communication 1996).
It should not be considered an affront to a cul-
ture’s intelligence that echoing was personified. It is
important to distinguish “intellectual capabilities” vs.
the use of different paradigms or world views. To
attribute phenomena of nature to supernatural spirits
was a quite common paradigm in ancient times, even
for intellectually-advanced cultures. The reflection
of sound waves is quite a complex phenomenon. For
instance, if a person makes a loud enough noise
while standing more than about 15 meters away
from a flat or concave rock wall, that person might
(if the surface is sufficiently smooth, dense and prop-
erly oriented) hear a delayed repeat of the sound
coming from the wall. Yet simultaneously, a second
person standing closer than 15 meters from that wall
would hear only the first person’s original sound,
and not the echoed repeat. The second person
would swear that no sound came from the wall
(because of insufficient time delay at that position to
distinguish the two closely-spaced sounds), while the
first person would swear that there was indeed
sound coming from the wall. When the two people
switch positions and try it again, they confirm the
paradoxical (hence “magical”) observation of sound
coming from the wall that can only be heard from a
distance. That this experience of a paradoxical phe-
nomenon could lead to thoughts and feelings of the
supernatural is evident in various synonyms used to
express the numinous: miraculous, mysterious,
arcane, impenetrable, inscrutable, mystical, unac-
countable, unguessed, unknowable, obscure, enig-
matic, baffling, perplexing, puzzling, occult, beyond
understanding (Merriam-Webster, 2001).
Given the propensity of ancient cultures for
attributing echoes to spirits, it follows that the actual
rock surfaces that produce echoes would have been
considered dwelling places for those spirits. It is rea-
sonable to theorize that locations with such echoing
surfaces would have therefore been considered
sacred. Typical sound-reflecting locations include
caves, canyons, cliff faces, outcroppings and large
boulders – precisely the characteristic locations
where rock art is found. One question that has
baffled rock art researchers is: why are some rock
surfaces selected in preference over other nearby
surfaces for the depiction of petroglyph and/or
Rock Art Acoustics in the Past, Present and Future
13
This progressed to determining if the echoing sounds
better at decorated locations than surrounding ter-
rain. This empirical technique is still useful for pre-
liminary scouting studies of large areas. For objec-
tive, quantitative measurements of acoustics, a
device for generating reproducible impulse sounds
was used in conjunction with portable electronic
audio recording equipment, and analysis of the
recordings was accomplished by use of sound level
meters and specialized computer programs. While
sounds were recorded on analog tape for most stud-
ies, some of the more recent studies have used digital
equipment (Waller, Lubman and Kaiser 1998). The
digital results served to confirm both the evidence
from analog recordings and the subjective impres-
sions of echoes. Acoustical testing of rock art sites
has thus progressed from subjectively listening for
the existence of echoes at sites, to performing objec-
tive measurements for determining if rock art occurs
specifically at locations that echo best relative to the
non-decorated surroundings. An analysis of acoustic
data systematically collected in a portion of
Horseshoe Canyon in Utah showed that the five art
sites within the study area correlate exactly with the
five locations within the canyon possessing the great-
est intensity of echoing (Waller 2000a). The present
paper reports consonant results from a similar study
conducted in Hieroglyphic Canyon, Arizona.
Also presented is a first attempt at characterizing
the sound qualities of a ringing rock associated with
rock art. Even today, such ringing rocks often evoke
surprise in modern people, since the mechanism of
the ringing is not well understood. Ringing rocks,
gong rocks, bell rocks, and lithophones, as well as
the related but distinct category of sounding stones,
have been found by a number of researchers in asso-
ciation with rock art (Bean 1975, Dams 1985, Dauvois
and Boutillon 1990, B. Fagg 1956, M.C. Fagg 1997,
Heizer 1953, Knight 1979, Nissen and Ritter 1986,
Parkman 1992, True and Baumhoff 1981; see also
Appendix below for an extensive listing of the
results from a search using the term “Bell Rock” in
“Rock Art Studies: A Bibliographic Database” com-
piled by L. Marymor 2001).
METHODS
The site of Hieroglyphic Canyon (in the
Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona) was
pictographs? The author has found that rock art
often occurs at the exact location of the source of
sound reflection and/or at a good spot in which to
stand for hearing an echo come from elsewhere. If
acoustics were indeed an influence for the produc-
tion of some subset of rock art as theorized, then
those locations decorated with rock art should be
expected to possess unusually good acoustical prop-
erties relative to non-decorated locations.
The possibility that the surfaces of these sites
were decorated with images evoked upon hearing
the echoes is suggested by the author’s experimental
observations. For example, echoes of percussion
noises such as clapping can mimic the sound of hoof
beats, and hoofed animals are a frequent rock art
theme. Voices appear to emanate from rock surfaces
on which anthropomorphic beings are depicted.
Thus the artists may have been attempting to depict
the spirits who they felt inhabited the rocks and who
were responsible for the sounds. Thus, motivation
for both the context (location) and the content (sub-
ject matter) of rock art can be directly derived from
the phenomenon of sound reflection via the ethno-
graphically-documented animism of echoing.
This acoustic theory does not necessarily conflict
with other theories (reviewed by Bahn 1997) attempt-
ing to explain the motivation for rock art, since
sound can be an integral part of activities such as
hunting magic, shamanistic rituals involving trance,
etc. (see also Lever 1998). While it would be impossi-
ble to prove exactly what the ancient artists were
thinking, the hypothesis that rock art occurs prefer-
entially at sound reflecting locations is experimental-
ly testable.
The author has tested over 100 sites in France,
Australia and the U.S. for sound reflection, and
found echoes and/or reverberations at almost every
one of them. A list of these sites, plus a large number
described by other researchers as having acoustical
properties, is being maintained on the Rock Art
Acoustics page of the world wide web at
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/9461
(Waller 2001).
Since the author’s realization in 1987 of the possi-
ble significance of echoes experienced at a paleolithic
cave art site, the methodology used for documenting
the sounds at rock art sites has evolved. Initial stud-
ies involved simply calling out or clapping upon
approaching rock art sites and listening for echoes.
Steven J. Waller
14
iment at each location was conducted in replicate to
assess reproducibility of the impulse, intensity of the
reflected sound, and echo delay time. Ambient
sounds before, during and after each impulse were
recorded on Type II tape with a Realistic Stereo-Mate
SCP-29 Model 14-1068A portable cassette analog
recorder using an (uncalibrated) omnidirectional
Realistic stereo Electret microphone model 33-1065
placed one meter from the impulse generating
device.
These recordings were then digitized at a
sampling rate of 22 kH and quantitatively analyzed
for sound intensity as a function of time and fre-
quency using SoundEdit Pro® v1.0 on a Macintosh
Quadra Power PC®. The data was exported into
Microsoft Excel® v4.0 for mathematical analysis.
The average dB for each 6 millisecond interval was
calculated over 0.5 to 7.5 kH, then corrected for back-
ground ambient noise. The maximum dB level
occurring after the impulse (excluding the first 0.1
sec, which is approximately the threshold for distin-
guishing an impulse from the repeated sound), was
plotted on the Y-axis, vs. the test location as estimat-
ed in meters from the mouth of the canyon plotted
on the X-axis.
The recording of the ringing rock at Painted
Rocks State Park near Gila Bend, AZ was made and
analyzed with the same equipment described above.
This site was not pre-selected for testing, rather the
author fortuitously was present and recording when
the sound of the rock was produced by a person
(unknown to the author) who struck the ringing rock
with a smaller rock.
RESULTS
1) Hieroglyphic Canyon, near Phoenix, AZ
Figure 1 shows the intensity of sound reflection
tested at regular intervals through a portion of
Hieroglyphic Canyon. These results show that the
location of maximum sound reflection intensity at
450 to 500 meters from the mouth of the canyon cor-
responds exactly to the location of the densely deco-
rated main rock art panels (also at 450 to 500 meters
from the mouth of the canyon). The few isolated art
figures down canyon (less than 450 m from the
mouth of the canyon) are situated at locations with
measurable sound reflection, but at a relatively lower
dB intensity than the main concentration of figures.
The undecorated locations up canyon (further than
500 meters from the mouth of the canyon), even
though possessing rock surfaces perfectly suitable for
decorating, have the lowest dB level of sound reflec-
tion.
2) Ringing rock at Painted Rocks State Park, Gila
Bend, AZ
Rock Art Acoustics in the Past, Present and Future
Figure 1: Measurements of sound reflection at locations throughout
Hieroglyphic Canyon, AZ.
selected for detailed acoustical study
because it is in an unmodified condition,
has relatively low ambient noise (the
author had to wait until the departure of
a troupe of Boy Scouts who were whoop-
ing loudly to play with the echoes!), and
contains rock art that is not spread evenly
within the canyon so that undecorated as
well as decorated locations could be test-
ed for comparison of reflected sound lev-
els. The methodology used to quantita-
tively measure the relative intensity of
sound reflection systematically at multi-
ple locations within Hieroglyphic Canyon
is similar to that previously described for
Horseshoe Canyon (Waller 2000a).
Briefly, at each location a single loud per-
cussion noise was produced via a spring-
loaded device designed to reproducibly
deliver a percussive impulse. Each exper-
15
The magnitude of this proportion remains to be
determined by acoustic tests such as those described
herein.
Digital video recording with its CD quality
sound is expected to provide an important means for
documenting sounds together with the sights of rock
art locations (Schaleben 1999; Waller 2000b). Future
methodology improvements planned for acoustic
testing include use of a binaural dummy and Polar
Energy-Time Curve analysis that would enable local-
ization of the apparent source of the reflected sound
(auralisation of the “acoustic image”), as well as less
Figure 2A is a plot of sound intensity in decibels
(measured at a given time of 0.1 seconds after strik-
ing) on the Y-axis, vs. frequency in Hertz on the X-
axis; this shows that the main resonating frequency
of the ringing rock near Gila Bend is approximately
1695 Hz. The time decay curve of this resonance fre-
quency at 1695 Hz is shown in Figure 2B, in which
sound intensity in decibels on the Y-axis is plotted
vs. time in seconds on the X-axis; this yields a reso-
nance time of approximately 0.7 seconds. (By con-
trast, the duration of sound from an ordinary non-
ringing rock is much less than 0.1 sec, yielding a per-
cussive clicking sound rather than a ringing effect.)
Steven J. Waller
Figures 2a & 2b: Characterization of ringing rock at Painted Rocks near
Gila Bend, AZ.
DISCUSSION
The Hieroglyphic Canyon results cor-
roborate the earlier results from Horseshoe
Canyon, since both studies show that the
art occurs specifically at the locations that
correspond to the highest levels of sound
reflection. These data support the hypoth-
esis that rock art occurs preferentially at
echoing locations. There were no obvious
differential erosive factors that might have
preferentially destroyed any presumed art
in non-echoing locations (see discussions
of taphonomic considerations in Bednarik
1994 and Waller 1994). Thus these results
suggest that the artists in diverse cultures
and regions intentionally chose to decorate
surfaces having unusual acoustic proper-
ties.
The analysis of the ringing rock near
Gila Bend represents a step forward in
characterizing the acoustical properties of
a ringing rock associated with rock art.
Characteristics measured include the main
resonating frequency (1695 Hz) and an
estimation of resonance time (approxi-
mately 0.7 sec). Much work remains in
terms of standardization of technique.
The findings in many parts of the
world of an association of acoustics with
rock art, together with relevant ethno-
graphic information, suggest that a sub-
stantial proportion of rock art around the
world may have been motivated by sound.
16
labor-intensive characterization of the acoustic envi-
ronment. An exciting new invention that can visual-
ize sounds and has demonstrated the ability to local-
ize the exact source of sounds, including reflected
sounds, is the Acoustic Camera (Heintz 2001); plans
are underway to apply this new equipment to study
rock art locations. It is anticipated that such detailed
acoustical analyses will yield further insights into the
cultures that produced the art.
Documentation of acoustical properties of rock
art sites, including ringing rocks, is also important
for reasons related to conservation. This gives a
broader meaning to the task of “rock art recording”,
which would be incomplete if it were not to include
audio recording and detailed descriptions of sound
characteristics (see Berrier 2000 for a formalized doc-
umentation form for acoustical phenomena at rock
art sites). Unless more attention is brought to the rel-
evance of acoustics, inadvertent damage to the sound
characteristics of rock art sites will continue, such as
damage to sound-reflecting surfaces and construc-
tion of structures that interfere with sound waves
(Waller 2000c). Acoustical data can be used as a
baseline for determining at a given site the effects
over time of weather, erosion, noise pollution, site
intervention and vandalism on the acoustical proper-
ties that may have been a major motivation for the
art in those locations. A direct implication of this
body of rock art acoustic discoveries is that the envi-
ronment around rock art sites should be left in a nat-
ural condition so that the acoustical properties are
preserved.
Acknowledgements. The author thanks the participants
of the 99IRAC “Sound and Rock Art” session:
Margaret Berrier, Janet Lever-Wood, David Lubman,
Claudio Mercado (abstract read in absentia) and
Christian Buck, as well as the session attendees.
Thanks are also given to Leigh Marymore for search
results from his “Rock Art Studies: A Bibliographic
Database” that appear in the Appendix, and to Mary
Gorden for supplying several other helpful refer-
ences. I also give heart-felt appreciation to my fami-
ly Patrice, Jason and Julia for their understanding,
support and sacrifices throughout the long years of
these studies.
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APPENDIX
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compiled by Leigh Marymor, conducted 8Sep01
20
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Rock Art Acoustics in the Past, Present and Future




hoka hey


john

[rich]

Ok - looks interesting - a bit long but I copied it to reread again a little later to help it sink in a bit better.
So they not only used the rocks for art and shamanism but could also use them for communications too. And they took advantage of echoes too. Wonder if they could have transported a big enough rock on a boat or if it was only land based? If they did it probably would have added some stability to it - or sunk it - depending on the size. But from what I read it appears they used it mostly in one location - and Masewa seems to have used the echo quality to pick the site they were looking for.
Kind of reminds me of the whispering galleys too.

[john]

Ok - looks interesting - a bit long but I copied it to reread again a little later to help it sink in a bit better.
So they not only used the rocks for art and shamanism but could also use them for communications too. And they took advantage of echoes too. Wonder if they could have transported a big enough rock on a boat or if it was only land based? If they did it probably would have added some stability to it - or sunk it - depending on the size. But from what I read it appears they used it mostly in one location - and Masewa seems to have used the echo quality to pick the site they were looking for.
Kind of reminds me of the whispering galleys too.

Rich -

On the salt, check out conch shells, worldwide.

The original Kahlenberg horn.

hoka hey


john

[Sam Salmon]

On the salt, check out conch shells, worldwide.
The original Kahlenberg horn.

Still used at some Fijian resorts as the call to dinner-someone with a decent set of lungs can really holler with one of those honkers.