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Archaeologists Successfully Simulate Noises from a 3000-Year-Old Subterranean Metropolis

Unveiling a New Perspective: Could We Possibly Listen to the Echoes of Ancient Cities?

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Unraveling the sonic landscapes of antiquity: envisioning the sounds of ancient cities.
Unraveling the sonic landscapes of antiquity: envisioning the sounds of ancient cities.

Archaeologists Successfully Simulate Noises from a 3000-Year-Old Subterranean Metropolis

In the vast, subterranean labyrinth beneath the arid Turkish plains, the ancient city of Derinkuyu once reverberated with the sounds of daily life. For centuries, the faint echoes of footsteps echoed through the narrow, stone-hewn corridors, and the hushed whispers of residents permeated the air vents.

Now, millennia after those faint echoes faded, one researcher seeks to revive the city's long-silent symphony.

Derinkuyu, the largest excavated underground city in the world, lies hidden beneath the parched volcanic landscape of Cappadocia and plunges more than 85 meters deep. Archaeologists speculate it spanned an astonishing 18 levels, of which only eight have been explored. Truly, it represents an engineering marvel of antiquity.

At its zenith, the city could house up to 20,000 people and boasted advanced, specialized facilities such as wine presses, stables, and even churches. The Phrygians, an ancient Indo-European people who settled central Anatolia around the 8th century BC, constructed it, but it continued to be used throughout Byzantine times and even served as a refuge after. During Roman times, Christians expanded and utilized the network of subterranean chambers, constructing the churches that still stand today.

One archaeologist is focusing on a different facet of Derinkuyu: its symphony. Sezin Nas, a researcher in interior architecture and acoustics at Istanbul Galata University, investigates the acoustic environment and soundscape of the underground city.

Nas asserts, "There is a noticeable gap in the literature regarding the soundscape of underground cities. Studying the acoustic environment of Derinkuyu aimed to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and provide data that could guide the design of future underground urban spaces."

Presenting her work at the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America this May, Nas detailed a project that aims to reconstruct Derinkuyu's lost soundscape. By utilizing immersive 3D modeling, she digitally revives the once-buzzing city's auditory life, offering listeners a glimpse of the past through their headphones.

Interestingly, Derinkuyu's complex ventilation system did more than simply circulate air. These vertical shafts, numbering over 50,000, also served as communication channels, allowing voices to transmit from floor to floor.

"The integration of ventilation and communication functions within the same architectural elements is considered one of Derinkuyu's most unique features," Nas notes. "This multifunctional use of the ventilation system strongly highlights the exceptional construction process of the site and plays a central role in shaping its soundscape."

The work is still in its infancy, and Nas doesn't claim to have definitively recreated the city's exact acoustic experience. However, the reconstruction efforts sheade important insights into the rich, sonic tapestry that was integral to daily life within the ancient city.

"This research highlights the role of historical sound environments as an essential, often overlooked component of cultural heritage," Nas concludes. As her research progresses, we inch closer to an accurate recreation of the city's sights and sounds, not just its appearance.

  1. The researcher, Sezin Nas, is delving into the acoustic environment and soundscape of the underground city of Derinkuyu, aiming to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage.
  2. The study of Derinkuyu's acoustic environment could provide valuable data for the design of future underground urban spaces, according to Nas.
  3. Nas plans to present her work on reconstructing Derinkuyu's lost soundscape at the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.
  4. The ventilation system in Derinkuyu served a dual purpose as a communication channel, with over 50,000 vertical shafts allowing voices to transmit from floor to floor.
  5. The integration of ventilation and communication functions within the same architectural elements is considered one of Derinkuyu's most distinctive features.
  6. The reconstruction of Derinkuyu's lost soundscape, although still in its initial stages, has shed light on the rich, sonic tapestry that was essential to daily life within the ancient city.
  7. Nas's research emphasizes the crucial role of historical sound environments in shaping cultural heritage, not just the physical appearance of historical sites.

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