Sound field studies in archaeological fieldwork: near or far, free or direct or diffuse field—How does it matter?

The relatively new discipline of archaeoacoustics faces challenges regarding the wide variety of prehistoric and historic environments to be studied. This paper focuses on the need to consider different types of acoustic techniques to use in various situations. Hypothesis testing can potentially lead to different results depending on the type of acoustic testing performed. Nearfield versus farfield approaches can yield disparate datasets, so the methodology chosen can have significant impact on the conclusions. How do sound reflecting surfaces affect the sound power radiated from a source, or received by a listener, and influence its apparent directionality and cultural perception? Examples of acoustic research results will be presented, including studies of deep cave paintings of Europe, shallow painted shelters of India and Australia, and petroglyphs carved into the walls of canyons and cliff faces in North America.