https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/alusur/issue/feed 2026-01-28T17:43:21+00:00 Alison Vacca av3096@columbia.edu Open Journal Systems <h1><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Al-ʿUṣūr al-Wusṭā</span></em></h1> https://journals.library.columbia.edu/index.php/alusur/article/view/uw34rossi 2025-09-01T18:45:38+00:00 Domiziana Rossi rossidomiziana@gmail.com

<p>Aspects of the sensory experience of past environments, such as tastes, smells, textures (including of food), sounds, and other sensory stimuli, cannot be fully reconstructed and appreciated with archaeological evidence alone. Interpreting the importance of sounds from archaeological evidence presents challenges due to the ephemeral nature of sound and biases inherent in historical sources. The recreation of soundscapes, closely associated with sensory archaeology, addresses this gap by focusing on the auditory environment of past societies. This article presents the methodology used to create a soundscape of a Sasanian city, Rev-Ardashir, to better understand auditory experiences in ancient urban settings. The methodology involves an extrapolation of sound-related data from a comprehensive analysis of historical sources, complemented by archaeological investigations and contextual environmental information. Through meticulous analysis of available data and the application of theoretical frameworks from sensory archaeology, this research has the potential to enhance our understanding of the daily lives and behaviors of Sasanian city dwellers and illuminate gaps in historical and archeological research.</p>

2026-01-28T00:00:00+00:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Domiziana Rossi