scholarly journals The Acoustics of the Benevento Roman Theatre

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Silvana Sukaj ◽  
Giuseppe Ciaburro ◽  
Gino Iannace ◽  
Ilaria Lombardi ◽  
Amelia Trematerra
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Sound Source ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Cultural Activities ◽  
Renaissance Period ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Theatrical Performances ◽  
Principal Elements

During the Imperial Roman period, thousands of theatres were built. The theatres have three principal elements: the scene building (actor position), the orchestra and the cavea (spectator seating). The theatres were built without a roof, so they were open-air spaces. The theatres were abandoned afterward the barbarian invasions, and during the Middle Ages, homes were built inside the cavea. The theatres were rediscovered during the Renaissance period. Today, ancient theatres are the center of cultural events and are used for various kinds of shows. This work discussed the acoustics of the Roman theatre of Benevento, which was built during the Imperial Age. The theatre was destroyed after the barbaric invasion and it was rebuilt in the first half of the 1900s. The theatre was opened in 1957, and today it is the center of social and cultural activities. Acoustic measurements were carried out according to ISO 3382 standard, placing an omnidirectional sound source on the scene building and in the orchestra, with the measurement microphones along three directions in the cavea. The acoustic characteristics in various seating areas of the cavea were evaluated. Therefore, it possible to understand in which sectors of the theatre the acoustic characteristics are optimal for different types of theatrical performances.

The acoustics of ancient catacombs in Southern Italy

2020 ◽  
pp. 1351010X2096757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Ciaburro ◽  
Umberto Berardi ◽  
Gino Iannace ◽  
Amelia Trematerra ◽  
Virginia Puyana-Romero
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Sound Source ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Reverberation Time ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Christian Religion ◽  
Renaissance Period ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Speech Transmission

The catacombs, burial sites for early Christians, were constructed during the Roman Empire until the Christian religion was recognized in 313 AD. The catacombs were cementeries, which were organized according to precise rules and were dug into the ground on several levels, to occupy as little space as possible. The catacombs became places of worship as martyrs were buried in them. The catacombs were then abandoned with the barbarian invasions and the consequent construction of churches inside cities. The catacombs were rediscovered during the Renaissance period and became a place of renewed worship. In the present work, the acoustic characteristics of the catacombs of San Callisto in Rome, San Gennaro in Naples, and Vigna Cassia in Syracuse are discussed. The three selected catacombs differ by type of excavation and geometry. In particular, the catacombs of San Callisto are made of narrow corridors and small rooms; the catacombs of San Gennaro consist of large rooms with niches; the catacombs of Vigna Cassia are partly excavated in the tuff and partially occupy a disused aqueduct. The acoustic measurements were performed using an impulsive sound source. The description of the acoustic characteristics focuses on the reverberation time and the Speech Transmission Index. The results show that the reverberation time was always shorter than 1 second, confirming the reduced reverberation of these environments. Finally, the speech listening characteristics are particularly good, ensuring the suitable conditions for the prayer in these spaces.

scholarly journals How Does Diet Influence Our Lives? Evaluating the Relationship between Isotopic Signatures and Mortality Patterns in Italian Roman Imperial and Medieval Periods

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3895
Author(s):  
Marica Baldoni ◽  
Alessandra Nardi ◽  
Flavio De Angelis ◽  
Olga Rickards ◽  
Cristina Martínez-Labarga
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Survivorship Analysis ◽  
Linear Effect ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Carbon Isotopic ◽  
Religious Aspects ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Source Of Information

The present research investigates the relationship between dietary habits and mortality patterns in the Roman Imperial and Medieval periods. The reconstructions of population dynamics and subsistence strategies provide a fascinating source of information for understanding our history. This is particularly true given that the changes in social, economic, political, and religious aspects related to the transition from the Roman period to the Middle Ages have been widely discussed. We analyzed the isotopic and mortality patterns of 616 individuals from 18 archeological sites (the Medieval Latium sites of Colonna, Santa Severa, Allumiere, Cencelle, and 14 Medieval and Imperial funerary contexts from Rome) to compile a survivorship analysis. A semi-parametric approach was applied, suggesting variations in mortality patterns between sexes in the Roman period. Nitrogen isotopic signatures influenced mortality in both periods, showing a quadratic and a linear effect for Roman Imperial and Medieval populations, respectively. No influence of carbon isotopic signatures has been detected for Roman Imperial populations. Conversely, increased mortality risk for rising carbon isotopic values was observed in Medieval samples.

scholarly journals Late-Holocene forest resilience in the central Pyrenean highlands as deduced from pollen analysis of Lake Sant Maurici sediments

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110332
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull ◽  
Núria Cañellas-Boltà ◽  
Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Central Pyrenees ◽  
The Middle Ages

Palynological analysis of the last ca. 4300 cal year BP using a sediment core taken from high mountain (ca. 1900 m elevation) Lake Sant Maurici sediments (southern-central Pyrenees) showed remarkable vegetation constancy during the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages. Records of the Iron Age and the Roman period were missing due to a major sedimentary gap. During the studied periods, the vegetation around the lake was largely dominated by pine ( Pinus) forests with birch ( Betula), oak ( Quercus) and hazel ( Corylus) trees, as is the case today. The composition of these forests and the abundance of their components remained quite stable, despite the occurrence of temperature and moisture shifts. The degree of human disturbance, notably that of pastoralism and cereal cultivation by scattered and temporary settlements, was very low and had little or no effect on the dominant forests. This situation contrasts with most high-elevation (subalpine and alpine) environments of the central Pyrenees that were massively anthropized during the Middle Ages. Further research should be aimed at finding sediments corresponding to the Iron Age and the Roman period to verify whether the vegetation constancy can be extended throughout the Late-Holocene. Past records of this type may allow the estimation of natural and anthropogenic thresholds for irreversible forest changes, which would be useful for conservation purposes.

Design and Construction of a Small Reverberation Chamber Applied to Absorption and Scattering Acoustic Measurements

2014 ◽  
Vol 1077 ◽  
pp. 197-202
Author(s):  
D. Hernandez ◽  
E.J. Liu ◽  
J.H. Huang ◽  
Y.C. Liu
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Integration Method ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Reverberation Chamber ◽  
Scattering Coefficients ◽  
Reverberation Chambers ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Design And Construction

Reverberation chambers are used to create a diffuse incidence sound field, where multiple types of acoustic measurements can be performed. The chambers tend to have a large volume in order to extent the reverberation time. However, this requirement may be conditioned by the cost and the infrastructure limitations. This paper presents the design and construction of a small-scaled reverberation chamber of 3 m3 for middle-high frequency acoustic measurements. On the design, the acoustic characteristics of chamber are confirmed via finite element computer simulation. As case studies, absorption and scattering coefficients of several materials and diffusors are measured. The reverberation times needed for the measurements were obtained by the impulse response integration method. The small reverberation chamber demonstrated to be a reliable tool for middle and high frequency acoustic measurements.

Mathematical ideas and indigenous languages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Barton ◽  
Roslyn M Frank
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Indigenous Languages ◽  
Mathematical Ideas ◽  
Cultural Activities ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Formal Mathematics ◽  
Different Types ◽  
And Linguistics

Recent interest in how anthropology and linguistics relates to mathematics has led to recognition that mathematical thinking is a function of language in ways not previously recognised. Ethnomathematics, cognitive linguistics, and anthropology are all pointing to a way of understanding mathematical ideas based on human experience and cultural activities. Formal mathematics can be seen to have developed from metaphors deeply embedded in our languages. This raises the question of relativity in mathematics. Do different languages embody different types of mathematics? This chapter examines some emerging evidence in the grammar and syntax of indigenous languages, i.e. languages structurally very different from the Indo-European linguistic tradition. The educational consequences of the possibility of different mathematical thinking is briefly discussed.

Religious Theatre in America

Worldview ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 14-16
Author(s):  
Sy Syna
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Theatrical Performances ◽  
Religious Theatre ◽  
The Middle Ages

Once upon a time all theatrical performances in Western Europe were religious in impetus and expression. Professional directors and stage managers of the Middle Ages traveled to such towns as Mons and Valenciennes to stage elaborate productions upon specially constructed platforms equipped with trapdoors and other devices to achieve the most spectacular effects. An English king journeyed to York and posted himself and his retinue on a street in order to witness a segment of that city's famous cycle of plays—from Creation to Christ s passion —performed upon a wagon.

scholarly journals Late Antiquity by Gordon Childe: Sources and Inspirations

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 157-165
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Jastrzębowska
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Roman Republic ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
October Revolution ◽  
National Socialist ◽  
The Middle Ages ◽  
Late Roman

In the last chapter of What Happened in History, Childe touched on the problematic of Late Antiquity. His pessimistic view of that period was a variation on the theme of decadence. This theme had existed in the Roman Republic and under the Empire, long before there was any Late Antiquity to be decadent. It then persisted throughout the Middle Ages and found monumental expression in Gibbon's Decline and Fall. Childe, however, took it to excessive lengths in his denunciation of the politics, economy, and culture of the Late Roman Empire. Childe based his arguments largely on the work of Rostovtzeff and Heichelheim. Both these eminent historians were exiles: Rostovtzeff from the Russia of the October Revolution and Heichelheim from National Socialist Germany. It is no belittlement to say that their work was influenced by the insights of their political experiences. Childe, however, did not appreciate this and adopted their thinking somewhat uncritically. He further added parallels between the Roman Period and his own time, which resulted in an unduly dark vision of the last phase of the Roman Empire.

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