Abstract
In northern Finland, near the canyon lakes of Julma-Ölkky, Somerjärvi, and Rotkojärvi, steep rock cliffs produce distinctive acoustic spaces. On these cliffs, prehistoric rock paintings (5200 to 1000 BC) as well as an ancient Sámi offering site (circa 1100 to present) can be found. Ethnographic sources describe that the Sámi used to sing and listen to echoes while making offerings there. This article presents the results of an archaeoacoustic research project that seeks to explore the role of sound in the development and use of these archaeological sites. The innovative set of methods includes multichannel impulse response recording, angle-of-arrival estimation of early reflections, spectrum analysis, digital image processing, and 3D laser scanning. On the basis of the analyses, it is concluded that the cliffs that have been painted or held as sacred are efficient sound reflectors. They create discrete echoes and, accordingly, phantom sound sources. Especially at the Värikallio cliff near Lake Somerjärvi, the sound appears to emanate directly from the painted figures. These results, together with previously unnoticed drumming figures in the Värikallio painting, provide a clue to the significance of the sound rituals at these sacred sites.
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Notes
As a rule, Finnish rock paintings are located immediately on shorelines, often on steep cliffs that rise directly from the water (See Lahelma 2008). It is therefore safe to assume that most of them were originally painted from a boat or the frozen lake surface. Nowadays, the majority of the paintings are several metres above the current water level and, when the hydrological history of the lake is known, they can be dated using the shore displacement chronology. That is the single most important means of dating Finnish rock art.
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Acknowledgements
The research was funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Kone Foundation, the Academy of Finland, and the University of Helsinki Future Development Fund. We also want to thank Pekka Mikael Laine, Jaska Uimonen, Taina Riikonen, Ulla Valovesi, Jorma Kaiponen, Iina Sirviö, Annu Mikkonen, Antti Rainio, Sinikka Alanko, and Marjo Juola for their generous help and contribution to the fieldwork.
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This study was funded by the Academy of Finland (project number 267592), the University of Helsinki Future Development Fund (project number 7470264), the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the Kone Foundation.
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ESM 1
(WAV 6355 kb)
Sound sample 1 Noise burst and the echo from the painted cliff of Julma-Ölkky (the microphone stand 58 m off the cliff at a temperature of -13° C), repeated four times
ESM 2
(WAV 7218 kb)
Sound sample 2 Drumbeat and the echo from the sacred cliff of Taatsinkirkko (the microphone stand 49 m off the cliff at a temperature of +8° C), repeated four times
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Rainio, R., Lahelma, A., Äikäs, T. et al. Acoustic Measurements and Digital Image Processing Suggest a Link Between Sound Rituals and Sacred Sites in Northern Finland. J Archaeol Method Theory 25, 453–474 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-017-9343-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-017-9343-1