Sounds like… culturally significant auditory illusions at archaeological sites

Unusual sound effects have been noted at many archaeological sites. Tangible cultural evidence supports hypotheses that certain sound phenomena were misinterpreted. Cases of auditory illusions include: (1)Chirped echoes from the staircases of Mesoamerican pyramids, resembling calls of the quetzal bird, as proposed by David Lubman; (2)Echoes in canyons perceived as spirits calling out from the rocks, matching ancient petroglyph designs that coincide with mythical descriptions of echo spirits; (3)Thunderous reverberation in caves with prehistoric paintings of stampedes of hooved animals corresponding to mythical thunder gods; (4)Interference patterns from two droning bagpipes radiate nodes of silence, giving the impression of acoustic shadows from a ring of massive objects blocking the sound. This pattern matches the arrangement of Stonehenge, and is consistent with a legend that two pipers led maidens to dance in a circle and they all turned to stone; (5)Resonance in gothic cathedrals, leading to the belief that angels were singing along in the ceiling. These examples demonstrate the significance of sound to ancient cultures and underscore the need for further acoustical studies at archaeological sites. Implied from these results is the need for conservation efforts to preserve the acoustics at archaeological sites.