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Mapping Roman Sounds: A Methodological Approach to Reconstructing Roman Soundscapes

    Florian Leitmeir, Jutta Günther

Journal of Music Archaeology, Volume 2, 2024, pp. 115-130, 2024/12/18

Volume 2, 2024


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Abstract

The great relevance of music and sounds in antiquity is contrasted by the fact that sounds have faded away and cannot be reproduced; only the echoes in archaeological, iconographic and literary sources have been preserved. The sources on ancient music are thus the result of a remarkable medial transformation process from sound to images and texts. This medial transformation has to be revealed through a critical examination of contexts and genres to open up new perspectives on the meaning of sounds in Roman antiquity. Through our concept of “Klang-Raum” (Soundspace), the corresponding analysis of the sources enables the reconstruction of manifold urban sound-spaces. Taking the funeral procession, the pompa funebris, as an example, we demonstrate how the synopsis of different source genres reveals a complex picture of the significance of sound and mu-sic in the Roman funerary ritual.

Keywords: Soundscapes – Pompa funebris – Funeral procession – Nenia