• Profile
• Archaeoacoustics
• Publications

• Introduction
• Avebury
• Stonehenge
• Ring of Brodgar
• Stones of
  Stenness
• Maeshowe
• Dwarfie Stane
• Standing Wave Resonance
• Huntersquoy & Taversoe Tuick
• Stalled Cairns of Orkney
• Easter Aquorthies
• Grey Cairns of Camster

Dwarfie Stane

The Dwarfie Stane in Orkney has a short passage and chamber that was tunnelled into a solid block of stone. It is the only example of its kind known in the British Isles. The solid walls and confined chamber constitute a very resonant space, and it is possible to create intense effects using the voice alone.

While standing waves were dramatic inside, some effects were not confined to the chamber. With some sound frequencies, listeners on the roof perceived the stone itself to be shaking. This is most likely an illusion, with the sounds resonating the listeners themselves. The potential for sound to create this kind of experience raises some interesting as to how such experiences were understood in the Neolithic.

Loud sounds generated outside the Dwarfie Stane, such as beating a drum, generated powerful echoes that echoed like thunder around the surrounding cliffs and hillsides. While the choice of this location would have been determined by the availability of a sufficiently large stone, the spectacular setting and impressive echoes contribute to the experience of this unique monument.

The Dwarfie Stane also raises some important questions with respect to the way in which monuments are often considered in ways that separate them from their surroundings. The role of sound in prehistory need not be limited to effects within the interiors of these buildings, but might also have extended to integrate elements from the wider landscape. The Dwarfie Stane is at the focus for echoes from cliffs, while chambered sites near the sea such as the stalled cairn of Midhowe in Orkney, are likely to have enhanced the bass noise of waves breaking on the nearby Atlantic coastline.