Margarita Díaz-Andreu

Special Issue in honor to Professor Pedro Paulo Funari

Incorporating intangible aspects of prehistoric experience, including sound, has become increasingly important in rock art research, offering a more comprehensive interpretation of the past. Scholars suggest that the acoustic properties of certain rock art sites may have influenced not only artistic creation but also social and ritual practices. This article presents guidelines for recording, digitizing, and analyzing the acoustic features of open and semi-open rock art sites. The proposed protocol integrates two complementary approaches: a sonic exploration to gather subjective (person-centered) data, and experimental impulse response measurements based on room acoustics principles to obtain quantitative acoustic data. Given the lack of standardized methodologies for characterizing the acoustics of such sites, this protocol aims to enhance the reliability, reproducibility, and comparability of future archaeoacoustic research. By establishing a rigorous framework, it contributes to a deeper understanding of how sound shaped past human experiences.

Dance is an activity intimately connected to music and sound, typically performed outdoors. It has a social significance that extends well beyond mere entertainment, although does not exclude it. In this article, we aim to focus on dance in the archaeological record of southern Africa. We specifically exploring dance scenes depicted at the rock art sites of the Zimbabwean plateau, focusing on their iconography and social significance. The study follows the criteria established by Garfinkel and Díaz-Andreu et al. for recognising dance scenes in iconographic representations. These criteria serve as a reference point for reviewing information from ethnographic sources about dance in southern Africa. After describing the dance scenes published so far, the study cross-references the types of dances revealed in the rock art of the study area with the information from the ethnographic sources. The findings highlight the prominence of ritual dances, often gendered and involving altered states of consciousness, as central themes in the rock art. While this research provides a preliminary framework based on existing literature, it underscores the need for further fieldwork to uncover additional sites and explore the relationship between dance scenes and their surrounding landscapes.

The use of large Charonia seashells as labial vibration aerophones is documented in various cultures around the world. In Catalonia, north-eastern Iberia, 12 such instruments have been recovered from Neolithic contexts, dating from the second half of the fifth and the first half of the fourth millennia BC, yet they have received little attention in academia. Given that some examples retain the ability to produce sounds, their archaeoacoustic study offers insight into possible uses and meanings for Neolithic communities. While not all can still produce sounds, the high sound intensity of those that do may indicate a primary function as signalling devices that facilitated communication in Neolithic communities.

This study explores the archaeoacoustics of rock imagery at Site 26LN211, the northernmost petroglyph site in the White River Narrows (WRN) Archaeological District, Nevada, USA. The research examines the relationship between rock writing placement and acoustic properties, considering their potential significance to indigenous groups such as the Southern Paiute and Western Shoshone. Fieldwork conducted in 2024 employed impulse response recordings to analyze sound behavior in various spatial configurations, including near and distant measurements. The results indicate that, unlike other WRN sites with strong echoes and reverberation, Site 26LN211 exhibits clear sound transmission with limited acoustic reflections. This suggests its suitability for oral storytelling, song recitatives, and ritual practices rather than sound-enhanced ceremonial performances. Additionally, the presence of vision quest structures above the site implies spiritual significance, although the results do not show a significant acoustic relationship between them and the petroglyph zone. Comparative studies with other indigenous sites reinforce the role of acoustics in shaping cultural landscapes. These findings contribute to broader discussions on the interplay between rock writing, sound, and indigenous traditions, emphasizing the need for preservation.

The dossier “Archaeologists of South America: Histories of Resilience” presents, for the first time, a comprehensive study of the history of women in South American archaeology. This introductory paper begins by highlighting the historical absence of women’s contributions in the discipline and situates the decades-long effort to uncover the stories of pioneering women archaeologists. It discusses the influence of various waves of feminism on the recovery of women’s histories in archaeology, both globally and specifically in South America. Following this contextualization, the paper offers an initial synthesis of the articles included in the dossier, organizing them into two groups. The first and larger group examines early women pioneers in countries such as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Uruguay, emphasizing the importance of recognizing their contributions to the development of the field. The second group focuses on contemporary issues in countries like Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The article concludes by reflecting on the current political and social climate, drawing attention to instability and the resurgence of conservative discourses, and how these factors impact the resilience and resistance of women in archaeology today.

Este trabajo examina cómo el silencio en torno al papel de las mujeres en la arqueología en general, y en la sudamericana en particular, se relaciona con la valoración de los datos y las decisiones sobre qué merece ser recordado en la historia disciplinar. Uno de los principales factores que influyeron en la forma en que las mujeres lograron integrarse en la arqueología profesional es la ideología de género predominante hasta mitad del siglo XX y cuyo poderoso rastro todavía continúa afectando hoy en día. Esta limitaba la presencia de las mujeres en el ámbito público, imponiéndoles restricciones casi infranqueables a lo que las mujeres podían hacer o no en la práctica arqueológica. El artículo aborda los obstáculos a los específicos que enfrentaron las primeras arqueólogas en Sudamérica: dificultades para acceder a la educación superior, a la formación de campo, a tener un sueldo justo, y a un estatus profesional equivalente al de los hombres. Además, analiza cómo la ideología de género llevaba a calificar a las mujeres trabajadoras como “no femeninas” y desvalorizaba su labor. Finalmente, el objetivo de este texto es cuestionar la normalización del silencio y del demérito hacia las mujeres en la historia de la arqueología, señalando la urgencia de reconocer sus aportes.