Digitalizing the sounds of the past: the soundscapes of World Heritage rock art landscapes from Spain and Mexico

Anthropological studies and ethnohistorical sources show that most hunter-gatherer and early agricultural societies around the globe believe the world to be ensouled or numinous. This means that natural phenomena, including acoustic effects ( echoes, for example), were perceived as being linked to supernatural agents (2) (3). Although the supernatural is everywhere, particular places in the landscape are identified as being special for transcendental communication. In prehistory, the information about these places is lost, except when they have been marked with rock paintings. In fact, rock art- when it is preserved - is situated precisely still in places where the artist chose to put it. Intriguingly, while experiencing rock art landscapes, one also occupies the same space where the artist was. This placement has particular advantages on the interpretation of rock art landscapes compared to other types of archaeological features, because the knowledge of its exact location in the environment can provide a powerful insight into what lay behind its production. In our hypothesis, acoustics can be considered as one of the potential key element in the placement, production and use of rock art.