The Acoustics of Ancient Theatres

The Conference on The Acoustics of ancient Theatres is the first on this topic and is jointly organized by the European Acoustics Association (E.A.A.) and the Hellenic Institute of Acoustics (HEL.IN.A.) with the assistance of the E.A.A. Technical Committee on Room and Building Acoustics and the Italian Acoustical Association (A.I.A.). The Conference aims to bring together experts to present and discuss all aspects and findings related to the acoustic properties of these unique ancient monuments which are largely located around the Mediterranean region and are often still used for public performances of theatrical plays, drama, speech and music. There is an ever growing interest for the renowned acoustic performance of such outdoor and roofed auditoria which since ancient times had a significant contribution to the evolution of the art of live performance, being also an important foundation for the science of acoustic communication engineering.

Location

The Conference will be held in the city of Patras, situated is an attractive location in Southern Greece, with access and visits to the famous ancient theatre of Epidaurus and other Hellenistic and Roman era theatres and odeia.

Topics

• Acoustic modeling and analysis
Sound field analysis of the ancient outdoor theatres
Acoustic computer models
Design properties and environmental factors
• Acoustic measurements
Single channel and multi-channel response measurements
Microphone array and binaural measurements
• Signal processing and virtual reconstructions
Processing and analysis of responses and soundfield
Virtual acoustic reconstruction of ancient buildings
• Roofed theatres, odeia and related ritual spaces
Analysis and modeling of roofed theatres
Analysis and modeling of Public and Ritual buildings of the antiquity
• Perceptual and qualitative aspects
Speech intelligibility and subjective preference
Music performance in the ancient theatres and odeia
Spatial and other qualitative aspects of the soundfield
• Acoustic Archaeology
Musical instruments of the antiquity
Language and speech-specific aspects of ancient theatre
Comparisons and historic – geographical evolution in theatre design

Conference Highlights

• Access and visit to outdoor ancient theatres (Epidaurus, the Roman Odeion of   Patras and other lesser known ancient theatres located close to Patras)
• In-situ measurement workshop (Roman Odeion of Patras)
• Real-time acoustic rendering workshop with demos and comparison to other ancient theatres, contemporary venues and well-known buildings
• Plenary sessions and presentations for related EU projects
• Invited speakers from related and inter-disciplinary fields
• Structured sessions to cover all aspects and geographical-historical evolution of ancient theatres.
• Parallel sessions on other ancient buildings (e.g. roofed odeia) and on acoustic archeology
• Attractive location in the city of Patras, at close proximity to ancient theatres and other important sites (ancient Olympia and Delphi)
• Complementary social program and activities

Important Deadlines