SONGS OF CAVES

This video was created as part of the research project Songs of the Caves (cave music). It was funded by the AHRC/EPSRC and aimed to explore the sounds of 5 caves, which are part of the Altamira Cave and Paleolithic Rock Art World Heritage Site in Northern Spain. In the caves of La Garma, El Castillo, Las Chimineas, El Pasiega and Tito Bustillo, the team explored the acoustics of the caves and their relationships with the rock art present. Cave art is up to 40,000 years old, and the team tested whether there was any evidence that sound played a role in where these visual themes were placed. In addition, various instruments were played and recorded in the caves, to demonstrate the acoustics and see how the caves would sound with different sound sources. Many of the instruments were reconstructions of archaeological finds, including bone flutes made up to 30 or 40,000 years ago.