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Acoustics
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The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage
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The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage

A special issue of Acoustics (ISSN 2624-599X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 11076

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Brian FG Katz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute d’Alembert, Sorbonne University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
Interests: archaeoacoustics; acoustic virtual reality; spatial hearing; audio 3D; room acoustics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This joint Heritage/Acoustics Special Issue focuses on the developing field of archaeoacoustics, highlighting the critical role of sound in understanding historical contexts. Archaeoacoustics provides unique insights into the interactions between ancient soundscapes, human experiences, cultural and musical practices, and architectural designs. The aim is to present research and critical insights from a diverse range of disciplines, including acoustics, anthropology, archaeology, architecture, heritage studies, and musicology. We invite contributions that emphasise the significance of sound in history.

The scope of this Special Issue includes the following:

  1. Archaeoacoustic Analysis of Historical Sites: Research employing modern acoustic technology to study the soundscapes of ancient theatres, caves, temples, and other historical sites. These studies will explore how acoustics shaped architectural choices, or vice versa, and the relation to human interactions within these spaces.
  2. Reconstruction of Historical Soundscapes: Research focusing on the recreation and evaluation of past sound environments through experimental archaeology and digital simulations. This includes the use of computer modelling and auralisation techniques to revive and understand the acoustic properties of ancient sites and artefacts.
  3. Acoustic Heritage Preservation and Communication: Efforts focussing on the documentation and preservation of acoustic heritage, including strategies for protecting the unique sound properties of historical locations. This includes challenges in conserving intangible cultural heritage and museography and communication projects of acoustic heritage.
  4. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Acoustic Heritage: Studies that integrate perspectives from anthropology, architecture, musicology, and digital technology are encouraged. Research on the cultural meanings and symbolic roles of sound in ancient societies, including the roles of music, spoken word, and environmental sounds in rituals, communication, and daily life, is invaluable to archaeoacoustics and intangible heritage. Approaching these fields of study from an acoustic perspective can enhance our understanding and offer new methods for studying and preserving acoustic heritage.

“The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage” aims at fostering a deeper appreciation of the auditory past, promoting a comprehensive narrative of human history enriched by the study of sound. This Special Issue seeks to advance archaeoacoustic research and encourage interdisciplinary efforts to preserve and understand our acoustic heritage.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Heritage.

Dr. Brian FG Katz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Acoustics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • archaeoacoustics
  • intangible heritage
  • acoustic digital twins
  • soundscape
  • virtual reconstructions
  • musical heritage
  • acoustic heritage
  • experimental archaeology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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37 pages, 15555 KB  
Article
Hearing a Sacred Space: An Archaeoacoustic Analysis of the Church of St. Francis in Pula, Croatia
by Teo Poldrugovac, Marko Horvat and Danijela Roksandić Vukadin
Acoustics 2026, 8(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8010016 - 3 Mar 2026
Viewed by 345
Abstract
The Church of St. Francis in Pula, Croatia, is a well-preserved example of Franciscan gothic sacral architecture from the late 13th century. As preaching was highly valued by the Franciscan order as a way of communicating with the faithful, the study is focused [...] Read more.
The Church of St. Francis in Pula, Croatia, is a well-preserved example of Franciscan gothic sacral architecture from the late 13th century. As preaching was highly valued by the Franciscan order as a way of communicating with the faithful, the study is focused on determining whether speech intelligibility in the church would have been adequate for successful communication between priests and their audience. The archaeoacoustic analysis of the church was performed in four stages: (1) in situ acoustic measurements in the present state, (2) development and calibration of the model of the present state based on measurement results, (3) development of the two models of the presumed historical state based on the calibrated model and historical data, and (4) prediction of acoustic conditions in the present and the historical states in terms of reverberation time T30 and of speech intelligibility in terms of speech transmission index STI. The factors considered in the study were (1) acoustics of the church, (2) profile of the audience (friars and the faithful), (3) layout of the audience areas (choir area in the front of the nave for the friars, back area of the nave for the faithful), (4) positions of the speech sources (altar for addressing the friars, pulpit for addressing the faithful), (5) occupancy (unoccupied and fully occupied church), (6) language used in liturgical ceremonies (Latin and native language), and (7) language proficiency of the audience (native speakers, users of a second language). The results show that (1) fair speech intelligibility (STI ≥ 0.45 for the faithful as native speakers, STI ≥ 0.50 for friars as non-native speakers of Latin) can be achieved for 50% of the audience in the choir area and for the entire audience in the back area in favourable conditions (fully occupied church, audience addressed from dedicated speaker positions), (2) the position of the pulpit (close to the audience and considerably elevated above it) is more favourable than the position of the altar (remote, barely elevated above the audience), and (3) in unoccupied conditions, fair speech intelligibility can still be achieved in at least 50% of the back audience area with the faithful gathered close to the pulpit, while it is not possible for the front audience area addressed from the altar. The summary conclusion is that the church of St. Francis in its presumed historical layout(s) would fulfil its primary function in a limited capacity. Fair speech intelligibility would likely have been sufficient for the audience to follow liturgical ceremonies conducted in the church, but not without difficulty. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage)
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23 pages, 8167 KB  
Article
Revisiting the Acoustics of St Paul’s Cathedral, London
by Aglaia Foteinou, Francis Stevens and Damian Murphy
Acoustics 2025, 7(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics7030049 - 13 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3198
Abstract
The acoustics of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, have been discussed in previous studies as a space of historical, cultural, societal, and architectural interest in the capital city of the United Kingdom. This paper presents the results from recent acoustic measurements carried out within [...] Read more.
The acoustics of St Paul’s Cathedral, London, have been discussed in previous studies as a space of historical, cultural, societal, and architectural interest in the capital city of the United Kingdom. This paper presents the results from recent acoustic measurements carried out within the space, making use of state-of-the-art measurement techniques and equipment. The results from these measurements provide a new perspective on the acoustic properties of different and distinct spaces within the cathedral, including coupling effects between the main areas, and the whispering gallery effect that can be heard around the walkway at the base of the dome. The discussion includes the analysis of room acoustic parameters included in the international standards and speech intelligibility parameters, and an indirect comparison between the techniques used here and those used in previous studies of this space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage)
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18 pages, 5529 KB  
Article
Interactive Soundscape Mapping for 18th-Century Naples: A Historically Informed Approach
by Hasan Baran Firat, Massimiliano Masullo and Luigi Maffei
Acoustics 2025, 7(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics7020028 - 15 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3508
Abstract
This paper explores the application of a specialized end-to-end framework, crafted to study historical soundscapes, with a specific focus on 18th-century Naples. The framework combines historical research, natural language processing, architectural acoustics, and virtual acoustic modelling to achieve historically accurate and physically based [...] Read more.
This paper explores the application of a specialized end-to-end framework, crafted to study historical soundscapes, with a specific focus on 18th-century Naples. The framework combines historical research, natural language processing, architectural acoustics, and virtual acoustic modelling to achieve historically accurate and physically based soundscape reconstructions. Central to this study is the development of a Historically Informed Soundscape (HIS) map, which concentrates on the urban spaces of Largo di Palazzo and Via Toledo in Naples. Using virtual and audio-augmented reality, the HIS map provides 3D spatialized audio, offering an immersive experience of the acoustic environment of 18th-century Naples. This interdisciplinary approach not only contributes to the field of sound studies but also represents a significant methodological innovation in the analysis and interpretation of historical urban soundscapes. By incorporating historical maps as interactive graphical user interfaces, the project fosters a dynamic, multisensory engagement with the past, offering a valuable tool for scholars, educators, and the public to explore and understand historical sensory environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage)
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20 pages, 15206 KB  
Project Report
Vaulted Harmonies: Archaeoacoustic Concert in Notre-Dame de Paris
by David Poirier-Quinot, Jean-Marc Lyzwa, Jérôme Mouscadet and Brian F. G. Katz
Acoustics 2025, 7(4), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics7040066 - 15 Oct 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1899
Abstract
This paper presents Vaulted Harmonies, a 66-min animated feature film created as part of the scientific outreach effort of the Past Has Ears at Notre-Dame project (ANR-PHEND). The project investigates the historical acoustics of Notre-Dame de Paris and their influence on music over [...] Read more.
This paper presents Vaulted Harmonies, a 66-min animated feature film created as part of the scientific outreach effort of the Past Has Ears at Notre-Dame project (ANR-PHEND). The project investigates the historical acoustics of Notre-Dame de Paris and their influence on music over the centuries. The film is structured around eleven musical pieces spanning the 12th to 20th centuries, each chosen for its relevance to the cathedral’s history and musical heritage. Details include how each piece was recorded and auralised using a calibrated geometric acoustic model that reflects the acoustics of the corresponding historical period. Further details describe the creation of the CGI renderings of Notre-Dame, which feature animated musicians synchronised with the music they perform, enhancing the immersive quality of the experience. These musical performances are interwoven with short documentary-style segments that provide historical and musicological context. The film adopts a first-person perspective in which the acoustics and visuals dynamically follow the camera’s movement, offering a virtual reality-like experience in a cinematic format. Vaulted Harmonies thus functions both as an engaging archaeoacoustic outreach project and as a standalone virtual concert rooted in historically informed performance and production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Past Has Ears: Archaeoacoustics and Acoustic Heritage)
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