Etruscan tombs in Italy studied via AI and acoustics

Archaeologists using artificial intelligence and acoustic science have reconstructed the sensory experiences of 2,500-year-old Etruscan painted tombs in Tarquinia, Italy. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, focused on two fifth-century BCE tombs to understand how their visual and auditory environments affected mourners.

Researchers Maurizio Forte of Duke University and Jacqueline Ortuella of the University of Oxford suggest that the architecture of these tombs may have been designed to elicit specific physical and emotional responses. By measuring sound reflections and resonance through recorded clapping, the team analyzed how the spaces functioned. While it remains unclear if these sensory effects were intentionally engineered by ancient architects or were natural byproducts of the materials and geometry used, the findings suggest these sites were intended to create immersive environmental experiences for the living, rather than serving solely as memorials for the dead.