Artsoundscapes ERC project

03/05/2026

Ya está abierta la matrícula para el curso de verano de 20h "Introducción a la arqueoacústica" que tendrá lugar del 6 al 10 de julio en la UB. Para aquellos a quienes les interese, el curso es equivalente a 2 ECTS. Más información en https://www.il3.ub.edu/ca/juliols/introduccio-larqueoacustica-una-altra-historia-musica // Registration is now open for the 20-hour summer course ‘Introduction to Archaeoacoustics’, which will take place from 6 to 10 July at the UB. For those interested, the course is worth 2 ECTS credits. Further information at https://www.il3.ub.edu/ca/juliols/introduccio-larqueoacustica-una-altra-historia-musica

30/04/2026

Excited to share the publication of a new piece exploring the connections between rock art, dance, and ritual! https://theconversation.com/rock-art-dance-and-ritual-what-we-learned-from-paintings-in-zimbabwe-279266

This work brings together perspectives on movement, symbolism, and prehistoric visual expression, highlighting how embodied practices like dance may have played a central role in the creation and meaning of rock art. It’s an invitation to think about these ancient images not as static remnants, but as part of dynamic, lived experiences.

Grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this conversation and to everyone involved in making this research possible.

25/03/2026

📢 We’re pleased to share that the edited volume Exploring Ancient Sounds & Places (Oxbow, 2024) is now freely available online!

🔗 Read it here: https://www.jstor.org/content/oa_book_edited/jj.22361592

This open-access book brings together an international group of scholars to explore how sound shaped human experience in the past. Covering a wide range of case studies and methods, it examines topics such as:

the origins of speech and music in early humans
soundscapes of rock art and archaeological sites
ancient musical instruments and listening practices
cognitive and emotional effects of sound in ritual contexts
historical and ethnographic approaches to acoustics

Bridging archaeology, anthropology, and sound studies, the volume offers both theoretical insights and cutting-edge methodologies for the growing field of archaeoacoustics.

📚 Edited by Margarita Díaz-Andreu & Neemias Santos da Rosa, this collection is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the role of sound in past societies.

Feel free to read, share, and circulate!

16/03/2026

Interested in how to Conduct an Archaeoacoustic Study of Rock Art Sites 🤔? Read 👓the article on this published in Advances in Archaeological Practice ⚙️! Authors: Lidia Alvarez-Morales, Neemias Santos da Rosa and Margarita Díaz-Andreu. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-archaeological-practice/article/how-to-conduct-an-archaeoacoustic-study-of-rock-art-sites-through-impulse-response-measurements/CA8D9F10F654D095D03EA5984B10A121

27/02/2026

📣 New article out now! 🧡

We're excited to share our latest piece in The Conversation: “Dance scenes in South African rock art: a closer look at ritual, music and movement.”
Based on the findings published in Telestes, in this short, easy-to-read article we explore how rock paintings across South Africa — from the Free State to the Western Cape — reveal dynamic scenes of human movement, showing not only ritual trance dances and initiation ceremonies but also moments of joy and entertainment. Our research offers a fresh way to interpret and understand dance imagery in San rock art through the lenses of music, movement and culture.

👉 Read it here:

31/01/2026

Esta semana nos ha dejado nuestra compañera y amiga María Lazarich, magnífica prehistoriadora y profesora de la Universidad de Cádiz, miembro del proyecto UCA "Necrópolis megalítica y desarrollo sostenible en el entorno del Tajo de las Figuras" (Benalup-Casas Viejas, Cádiz) () y colaboradora del proyecto Artsoundscapes ERC project. Con ella hemos publicado y todavía tenemos en prensa un trabajo más que presentamos al XIII Encuentro de Arqueología del Suroeste Peninsular celebrado en octubre de 2024.
Nos deja un enorme legado en favor del conocimiento del arte rupestre y de la Prehistoria gaditana. Sit tibi terra levis

24/12/2025

18/12/2025

3cat Assaig general. "Els cargols de mar són els avantpassats més antics dels instruments de vent metall"

La doctora en Arqueologia i investigadora ICREA a la Universitat de Barcelona Margarita Díaz-Andreu, coautora de l'estudi "Els cargols de mar: trompes del neolític", i el seu doctorand a la UB Miquel López Garcia ens han donat els detalls d'aquest treball en què arqueòlegs de la Universitat de ...

15/12/2025

On a personal note, you might enjoy reading Joshua Kumbani’s reflections on being part of the Artsoundscapes project 🎧🌍. He shares the challenges of moving to a new country and continent for a postdoc ✈️📚, his academic achievements 🏆, and the joy of living in a city home to one of the most important football teams in the world ⚽✨

10/12/2025

We’re absolutely blown away by the amazing interest in our recent article on the Neolithic shell trumpets of Catalonia! 🐚🎶

Our research has been featured in The Guardian, La Vanguardia, La Brújula Verde, Muy Interesante, and many more—plus radio programmes like The World, CBC Radio, 3cat Catalunya Música, and others still to be aired in the coming days. 📻

It’s been an incredibly exciting (and very busy!) few days for our team. Thank you all for the support and enthusiasm! 🙌✨