Acoustics and non-human agency in Neolithic and Bronze Age rituals at Stone Circle sites
Vivian, Paul
Authors
Mr Paul Vivian P.F.Vivian@salford.ac.uk
Director of Art & Design
Abstract
This paper and illustrated talk will explore the phenomenon of internal and airborne acoustic resonance produced by ancient standing stones at stone circle and menhir sites across the UK. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the potential for autonomous terrestrial acoustics, independent of human agency playing a role in the assemblage of Neolithic and Bronze Age ritual practices. Drawing on a range of field recordings collected from over twenty sites, this research builds upon ongoing fieldwork conducted since 2023 and contributes to preparations for a forthcoming PhD study at Birkbeck College, London. Since the discovery of archaeoacoustics in the 1980s by researchers Paul Devereux and Professor Chris Strauss, the role of sound in ancient sites has been increasingly acknowledged. Archaeoacoustics focuses on the agential potential of human voice or instrument-induced sonic resonance within these structures. This paper expands on this field by considering the possibility that resonance could occur independently of human interaction, contributing as an integral aspect of the material environment. Building on the work of Professor Oliver J.T. Harris, who applied Deleuze and Guattari's theories to challenge anthropocentrism when considering these archaeological sites, and Dr Meryl Shriver-Rice’s environmental anthropology, which emphasises the agential potential of non-human elements, this study seeks to reframe these ancient sites beyond their traditional material and social interpretations. Additionally, post-1970s processual archaeological theories have rejected the view of such sites as mere static representations of prehistoric societies. In drawing on political theorist Jane Bennett’s concept of ‘vibrant matter,’ which posits that objects exert an efficacy beyond human design or intention, the assemblage of stone circle structures and their associated rituals can be understood as embodying containment, symmetry, and order. My argument is that non-human acoustic resonance introduces a disruptive agent to this assemblage and an agency where human influence is absent.
Presentation Conference Type
Presentation / Talk
Conference Name
The Lithic Gathering Symposium, MMU Scholars of the Stones event
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