※ 여 유 ※ 쿠쿨칸 피라밋에서 울리는 새소리

[headu]

친구 여러분,

사진에 보이는 바와 같이 2003년 4월 1일 저는 맥시코 치첸잇자의 마야 쿠쿨칸 피라밋 앞에 서 있었습니다.  이 피라밋은 마야달력, 춘분 현상, 켓찰 새의 울음소리 등 많은 이야기를 가지고 있었습니다. 

제가 손뼉을 치자 피라밋에서는 새 울음소리의 반향을 들려주었습니다.  이 사실을 믿을 수 있겠습니까?  그러나 이것은 사실입니다.

데이빗 러브멘이 새소리 반향에 대헤서 설명해주고 있습니다.

잘 읽어보시고 나중에 토론하십시다.

Headu

필자의 사진 (뒤에 있는 것이 쿠쿨칸 피라빗입니다.)

An archaeological study of chirped echo

from the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza

치첸잇자의 마야시대 쿠쿨칸 피라밋이 만드는 새소리 울림에 대한 고고학적 연구

데이빗 루브만 (David Lubman)

This is a concise summary of a paper to be given at the October 12-16, 1998 meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Norfolk, VA.

이것은 미국 버지니아주 노폴크에서 1998년 10월 12 - 16일에 열린 미국 음향학회에 제출된 논문의 요약이다.

Handclaps evoke chirped echoes from the staircases of the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza.

치첸잇자의 쿠쿨칸 피라밋 앞에서 손뼉을 치면 계단으로부터 새소리 울림이 나타난다.

The physics of the chirped echo can be explained quite simply as periodic reflections from stepfaces.

이 새소리 울림은 계단에서 주기적으로 반사하는 소리에 의해서 만들어진다는 것은 물리적으로 쉽게 설명할 수 있다.

But until now, no one has bothered to do so.

그러나, 아무도 이를 시도해본 사람은 없다.

What is very interesting is that the chirped echo sounds arguably like the primary call of the Mayan sacred bird, the resplendent Quetzal.

재미있는 것은 이 울림이 마야의 신성하고 아름다운 새인 퀘잘의 소리와 거의 같다는 것이다.

This magnificent bird, now near extinction, has for thousands of years represented the "spirit of the Maya".

이 멋진 새는 거의 소멸되어가고 있지만 수천년 전에는 “마야의 영”이라고 불려졌었다.

Spirits, in many traditions, speak in echoes.

여러 가지 전통에서 보면 영은 울림으로 말하는 것으로 되어있다.

Think of the legend of Echo and Narcissus in the western tradition.

서방 전통 가운데 산울림과 그리스 신화에 나오는 나르시스의 전설을 생각해 보라.

Echo, lacking a body, was pure spirit.

울림은 몸이 없는 순수한 영이다.

A Mayan glyph from the Dresden Codex makes the connection between the pyramid of Kukulkan and the Quetzal bird.

독일 드레스덴 寫本에 나온 마야의 상형문자를 판독한 결과 쿠쿨칸의 피라밋과 퀘잘 새 사이의 관계를 알 수 있었다.

This glyph shows Kukulkan, the "sovereign plumed serpent" with a gigantic Quetzal behind him.

이 상형문자에 의하면 쿠쿨칸이 “깃털달린 뱀 임금”이며 그의 뒤에는 거대한 퀘잘이 나타나있다.

We argue that the Quetzal bird represents the spirit of the Maya.

그래서 우리는 퀘잘 새가 마야의 영임을 인정할 수 있다.

We also argue that spirits often speak in echoes.

그리고 우리는 영이 때로는 울림으로 말한다는 것을 안다.

It seems most appropriate that the spirit echo of the Pyramid of Kukulkan would speak in the echo-voice of the Quetzal."

그러므로 쿠쿨칸 피라밋의 울림은 퀘잘 새의 울림-소리를 재생한 것이라고 생각하는 것이 가장 타당하다.

Even today, the Quetzal plays an important part in modern Mayan culture. (Many modern Maya live in Guatemala, and in the Mexican States of Chiapas and Quintan Roo).

오늘날에도 �잘은 현대 마야 문화에 중요한 부분으로서 알려지고 있다. (현대 마야인 대부분은 과테말라와 맥시코 치파즈와 퀸탄루 지역에 살고있다).

Examples: the Quetzal is the unit of currency in Guatemala.

예를 들면: 과테말라의 통화 단위는 퀘잘이다.

The Guatemalan government issues a prestigious award named "The Order of the Quetzal." 

과테말라 정부는 “퀘잘 훈장”이라는 서훈제도를 갖고 있다.

The most recent recipient of this award is the great Mayanist, Dr. Linda Schele.  (Dr. Schele passed-on in April, 1998.)

최근에 이 훈장을 받은 사람은 마야 연구가인 린다 쉘레 박사이다. (쉘레 박사는 1998년 4월에 사망)

Could the Maya have intentionally coded the sound of their sacred bird into the pyramid architecture?

과연 마야인들이 이 신성한 새의 소리를 의도적으로 피라밋 구조 속에 코딩해 넣을 수 있었을까?

I think it is possible.

나는 그것이 가능하다고 생각한다.

In the millenium since this pyramid was built, though the plaster has eroded from the limestone staircases, the sound is still recognizable.

1000년이 지난 피라밋의 석회암 계단의 회반죽은 침식되었지만 울림 소리는 아직까지도 생생하다.

The Quetzal Bird

퀘잘 새

Hear the Quetzal in the cloud forest.

열대 운무림에 사는 퀘잘 새의 소리를 들어보라.

You will hear two Quetzal bird chirps (recorded in a rain forest) followed by two chirped echoes stimulated by a handclaps at the pyramid (recorded by me in January 1998).

앞의 두 소리는 실제 퀘잘 새의 소리이고, 뒤의 두 소리는 피라밋에서 손뼉소리에 의해서 울려나는 소리이며 이들은 본인이 직접 녹음한 것이다.

We must not expect the sounds to be identical. 

우리는 그 소리가 완전히 똑 같기를 기대해서는 안된다.

Just recognizably similar.

단지 유사하다는 것을 알 수 있다.

Think of a scratchy old Caruso recording.

오래된 카루소의 음반을 듣는다고 생각해 보라.

We can still recognize the voice of the great Caruso, even if it does not sound perfect.

소리는 완전하지 않지만 위대한 카루소의 목소리를 우리는 아직까지도 인식할 수 있지 않은가?

Remember that the Mayan stone recording is many times older than the Caruso recording!

마야인이 돌에다 녹음한 것은 카루소의 녹음보다 몇 배나 오래되지 않았는가?

Where else in the history of the world have an ancient people preserved a sacred sound by coding it into stone so that a thousand years later people might hear and wonder?

신성한 소리를 돌에 코딩하여 1000년이 지난 오늘 듣고 놀라게 한 고대인이 지구상에 어디에 또 있는가?

Note about the quetzal chirps:  The ancestors of the builders of Chichen Itza lived in the cloud forests.

퀘잘 새의 소리에 관한 소고:  치첸잇자를 건설한 사람들은 열대 무림지대에 살고 있었다.

In the cloud forest, sound can be more important than vision, because one can hear farther than one can see. 

무림지대에서는 청각이 시각보다 중요하였다.  왜냐하면 들을 수 있는 범위가 볼 수 있는 범위보다 훨씬 크기 때문이다.

The acoustic channel in cloud forests is rich with the sounds of birds, insects and animals. 

무림숲 속에서의 청각 채널은 새소리, 벌래소리, 짐승소리등 다양하다.

The "Quetzal in the cloud forest" sound file will help to familiarize you with the sound of a free quetzal in a cloud forest as the ancient Maya may have heard it. 

"무림숲 속에서의 퀘잘”소리 파일은 옛 마야인이 직접 듣던 퀘잘 새의 소리를 당신에게 들러 줄 것이다.

Take the time to download this 821Kb file (about 30 seconds at 28.8 Kb/sec).

이 821Kb 파일을 다운로드 받기 바란다. (28.8 Kb/sec의 속도로 다운 받는데 약 30초 걸린다.

Listen to it.

들어 보라.

Turn up the volume.

볼륨을 높여 보라.

Then listen again to the pyramid echo.

그리고 피라밋의 울림을 다시 들어 보라.

It will help you to appreciate why the classical Maya may have heard in the pyramid echo the sound of the quetzal."

고대 마야인들이 왜 피라밋의 울림을 퀘잘의 소리로 들었는지 알 수 있을 것이다.

Dr. Steven J. Waller has proposed that prehistoric rock art, which is usually found in echoing locations such as caves and canyons, was produced in response to the echoes, since legends from many ancient cultures describe the belief that echoes were spirit voices.

스티븐 월러 박사는 선사시대의 바위예술에 관한 연구를 하였는데, 동굴이나 협곡 등 울릴 수 있는 장소에서 나타나며, 고대 문화의 전설은 울림이 영의 목소리라는 믿음을 나타내고 있다고 주장한다.

See Waller's rock art web page for more information.

월러 박사의 바위예술 웹 페이지에서 더 많은 정보를 볼 수 있다.

http://www.ocasa.org/MayanPyramid.htm

사이트를 찾아서 Quetzal bird chirps 를 클릭하면 실제 퀘잘 소리 두 번과 손벽 소리가 피라밋에서 반사되어 나는 울림 두 번을 들을 수 있다.

The Quetzal Bird 퀘잘 새

The Castle

피라밋

The Castle or Pyramid of Kukulcan is a magnificent Toltec influenced structure 24 meters high with a square base, nine recessed stories symbolizing the planes of the underworld, and a small temple on the top. 

이 쿠쿨칸의 피라밋은 톨택 영향을 받은 거대한 구조물로서 모서리가 24미터인 정사각형의 기초 위에 세워져있다.  몸체를 이룬 피라밋은 9개의 크기가 다른 판자를 층으로 쌓은 모양을 하고있는데 각 판자의 수직 단면은 사다리꼴을 하고 있다.  9개의 층은 하계의 9가지 세계를 뜻한다.  맨 위에는 작은 신전이 있다.

The use of sloping walls is striking, as is the decoration of raised rectangles. 

각 층의 경사진 벽면은 매우 특이하며, 4각 강조 양식이다.

It has four great staircases of 91 steps, one on each side, and the north one finishes at the base in two colossal heads of feathered serpents.

피라밋의 사방에는 91개씩의 계단부분이 있는데 북쪽 것은 계단의 맨 아래 부분이 두 마리의 거대한 날개 달린 뱀의 형태를 하고있다.

Inside the Castle is a smaller pyramid containing another temple, red throne in the shape of jaguar and a Chac Mool sculpture. 

피라밋 속에는 작은 피라밋이 들어있고 그곳에도 신전이 있으며 그 속에서 표범 모양의 조각품 등이 나왔다.

This inner structure is the result of the custom of building over temples, covering them with a larger one at the end of the 52 year cycle.

피라밋 속에 있는 이 작은 내부 피라밋은 이들이 52년 주기로 더 큰 피라밋을 작은 피라밋 위에 지어 올린 결과이다.

The great temple of today is related to astronomy:  at 3pm on the spring and fall equinoxes (March 20 and September 21) the sun forms a series of seven isosceles triangle of an undulating serpent. 

큰 피라밋의 성전은 천문학적으로 관련이 있다:  즉 춘분과 추분 날 오후3시에 (3월 20일, 9월 21일) 태양광선과 피라밋이 만드는 조화로 7개의 2등변삼각형이 위에서 내려오는 모양이 연출되는데 이는 뱀이 꿈틀거리며 내려오는 모습과 같다.

The effect has been identified with the symbolical descent of the god Kukulcan to Earth to begin the agricultural cycle.

이 효과는 쿠쿨칸 신이 농기의 시작을 알리기 위하여 하늘에서 내려오는 모양을 상징하고 있다는 것이 알려졌다.

 

미국 음파학회

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Handclaps evoke chirped echoes from the staircases of the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza. The physics of the chirped echo can be explained quite simply as periodic reflections from step faces. But until now, no one has bothered to do so. What is very interesting is that the chirped echo sounds arguably like the primary call of the Mayan sacred bird, the resplendent Quetzal. This magnificent bird, now near extinction, has for thousands of years represented the "spirit of the Maya". Spirits, in many traditions, speak in echoes. Think of the legend of Echo and Narcissus in the western tradition. Echo, lacking a body, was pure spirit.

Figure 1. The pyramid at Chichen Itza

A Mayan glyph from the Dresden Codex makes the connection between the pyramid of Kukulkan and the Quetzal bird. This glyph shows Kukulkan, the "sovereign plumed serpent" with a gigantic Quetzal behind him. We argue that the Quetzal bird represents the spirit of the Maya. We also argue that spirits often speak in echoes. It seems most appropriate that the spirit echo of the Pyramid of Kukulkan would speak in the echo-voice of the Quetzal."

Even today, the Quetzal plays an important part in modern Mayan culture. (Many modern Maya live in Guatemala, and in the Mexican States of Chiapas and Quintan Roo). Examples: the Quetzal is the unit of currency in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government issues a prestigious award named "The Order of the Quetzal."  The most recent recipient of this award is the great Mayanist, Dr. Linda Schele.  (Dr. Schele passed-on in April, 1998.)

Could the Maya have intentionally coded the sound of their sacred bird into the pyramid architecture? I think it is possible. In the millennium since this pyramid was built, though the plaster has eroded from the limestone staircases, the sound is still recognizable.

The Quetzal Bird Hear the Quetzal in the cloud forest.

You will hear two Quetzal bird chirps (recorded in a rain forest) followed by two chirped echoes stimulated by a handclaps at the pyramid (recorded by me in January 1998). We must not expect the sounds to be identical.  Just recognizably similar. Think of a scratchy old Caruso recording. We can still recognize the voice of the great Caruso, even if it does not sound perfect. Remember that the Mayan stone recording is many times older than the Caruso recording! Where else in the history of the world have an ancient people preserved a sacred sound by coding it into stone so that a thousand years later people might hear and wonder? Note about the quetzal chirps:  The ancestors of the builders of Chichen Itza lived in the cloud forests" In the cloud forest, sound can be more important than vision, because one can hear father than one can see.  The acoustic channel in cloud forests is rich with the sounds of birds, insects and animals.  The "Quetzal in the cloud forest" sound file will help to familiarize you with the sound of a free quetzal in a cloud forest as the ancient Maya may have heard it.  Take the time to download this 821Kb file  (about 30 seconds at 28.8 Kb/sec). Listen to it. Turn up the volume. Then listen again to the pyramid echo. It will help you to appreciate why the classical Maya may have heard in the pyramid echo the sound of the quetzal." Dr. Steven J. Waller has proposed that prehistoric rock art, which is usually found in echoing locations such as caves and canyons, was produced in response to the echoes, since legends from many ancient cultures describe the belief that echoes were spirit voices. See Waller's rock art web page for more information. Send your comments to David Lubman / Acoustical Consultant NEW ** Additional Information **  Click Here

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Please note that this information is in the process of slowly being updated.  As such there may be some inconsistencies throughout the text, we appreciate your interest and patients.

 

Additional Information

Sonogram of Handclap and Chirped Echo 

The sonogram plots frequency (vertical axis) against  time (horizontal axis). Loud sounds show in red; soft sounds show as yellow.

The vertical red line is the spectrum of a handclap made by an observer standing about 10 meters in front of the pyramid staircase.

A handclap, or any other short, impulsive sound contains energy smeared continuously over a wide range of frequencies. A handclap contains noise rather than tonal energy because it is distributed continuously over a wide range of frequencies.

The empty space to the right of the handclap is the "echo latency" - the time needed for the handclap echo to return to the observer from the pyramid steps.

The chirped echo is the set of three curved lines to the right of the handclap. These curves are harmonics (integral multiples) of a fundamental frequency. The fundamental frequency is not shown in the sonogram because it is weak and lost in the noise. The bottom curve is the second harmonic, and this is the strongest component. The upper curves are the third and fourth harmonics.

Notice that low echo frequencies are delayed more than high echo frequencies. This common feature of Bragg diffraction gratings is responsible for the downward chirp.

The echo said to be "time dispersive" because it lasts longer than the handclap. Time dispersion is another familiar feature of inclined Bragg diffraction gratings.   

What is the audible result? The continuous spectrum of a brief handclap is transformed into a longer, melodious, harmonic-rich quetzal-like chirp!  It is remarkable that the echo of a handclap should be a quetzal-like chirp! Where else, outside of the world of Mayan staircases, can this phenomenon be found?

But is this Mayan art or artifact?

The most famous feature at Chichen Itza is the light and shadow show that plays on the temple of Kukulkan around the time of the spring and fall equinox. At that time, an undulating shadow identified as the great plumed serpent moves up or down the balustrade of the staircase. Cultural connections identify the plumed serpent with the quetzal. Is it a coincidence that the remarkable quetzal-echo emanates near the location of the undulating shadow?

The signal-to-noise ratio is not very high in these sonograms. I have plans to make better recordings!

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Mayan Pyramid Steps The pyramid was once covered with smooth finish plaster. The plaster has been missing for many hundreds of years. You can see how irregular the steps are Despite this irregularity, the quetzal - like chirp can still be heard in the echo. If smooth finish plaster were reapplied, my acoustician� judgment is that the echo would sound slightly less raspy and more birdlike.

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Theoretical Calculation of Chirped Echo Second Harmonic Frequency vs Time This was calculated from a Mathcad program from a simple 2 dimensional ray model. The initial frequency, fi, depends only on the tread length of the stairs, TL, and the speed of sound, c.  fi = c/2TL The second harmonic shown here is twice that, or c/TL. The chirp final frequency ff depends on ones distance from the base of the pyramid. The lower limiting frequency of the chirp declines as one moves closer to the base. Then, precisely at the base, the chirp disappears entirely! Just before the chirp disappears, its lowest frequency is governed by the hypotenuse of the triangle consisting of the tread length and riser height  ff  = c/2(TL2 + R2)1/2

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CRITICISM OF THE QUETZAL/PYRAMID CONNECTION

Science News magazine (SN) published a story about my Mayan research in its January 16, 1999 issue titled "Singing Stairs." In that story, my physics was unchallenged, but my conjecture about the quetzal/pyramid connection was criticized by archaeologists.

Criticism is good! Every new scientific idea must be tested to see if it can withstand even the most withering criticism. Let critics tear it to pieces if they can! That's how science is done, and so no offense is taken.

But for this system to work, criticism needs the opportunity of rebuttal. This may be a problem in the constricted forum of SN Letters to the Editor. A wider forum is needed for pro and con discussion of the exciting new ideas raised by archaeological acoustics. In the future there will be a listserver for archaeological acoustics. Those interested in joining this discussion, please send me a brief e-mail message requesting notification.

Below is my response to SN. It is both too long and too short. Too long to fit into the space normally reserved for SN Letters. Too short to cover all of the important points I wanted to make, just as the original article may have been too short for the critics to make all the points they may have wanted to make. I ask that readers of SN consider this response in forming their judgments.

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Feb 1, 1999

Letter to the Editor of Science News magazine re the story "Singing Stairs"
(Science news, Vol. 155, Jan 16 1999, pp 44-45)
by David Lubman

Archaeologist Karl A. Taube would have me explain why the Maya would have created the chirped echo at the temple of Kukulkan (SN:1/16/99, p.44).   He and art historian Samuel Y. Edgerton say I have overstated the relevance of the quetzal to the temple where the echo is heard.  The echo, they say, honors not the quetzal, but a serpent named Quetzalcoatl, that was covered with quetzal feathers.

I remind these experts that many ancient Mesoamericans saw the quetzal as a transformation of the sacred plumed serpent, an identification that carries to the present day.  A perfect, if ironic proof is the quetzal painting S.N. chose for this story.  Its title "Plumed Serpent: Lord of the Cloudforest" and its mystical qualities beautifully illustrate my point. This radiant work of artist Gamini Ratnavira can be seen at http://www.biohaven.com/bus/ratnavira/serpent.html.

A clue to the reason for identifying the quetzal with the plumed serpent is seen in the spectacular display of the male quetzal that takes place in the cloud forests, ancestral home of the Maya, around the time of the spring equinox.   In it, the male quetzal rises a great altitude, then folds its wings to dive vertically through the forest canopy while crying sharply "tak-teek, tak-teek."   Its long tail feathers undulate behind him like a flying serpent. Thus, natural behavior surely seen by ancient Maya link the quetzal to the plumed serpent.

The quetzal has even more relevance to the temple of Kukulkan - at least for those willing to believe that its famous equinox light and shadow show was an intended design feature (this, too, is in dispute).  The descending, undulating shadow is said to represent the mystical plumed serpent.  The shadow plays against a balustrade of the temple staircase where it is viewed even today by the thousands thronging the wide plaza below  (shown at http://www.piramideinn.com/equinox.htm ).  The staircase is the very place from which the quetzal-like chirped echo emerges.   The call can be heard by all close enough to observe the shadow.  The quetzal sound could have been evoked by a priestly handclap made at a critical moment in the show.   This would strongly reinforce the ceremony� dramatic impact and religious purpose.  Thus, Mayans had good reason to engineer the sound of the quetzal into that location of that temple.

There are reports that even modern Mexicans link the chirped echo with the quetzal. It is independently reported that the echo is named "la cola del quetzal" (the tail of the quetzal) at "Mayan ceremonial centers and at Teotihuacan." (I am trying to get this report confirm‎!ed.)

Archaeologists Taube and Edgerton say they would be better convinced if other Mayan ruins produced such echoes. So be it!

I report from personal observation that Uxmal� Pyramid of the Magicians also produces chirped echoes. (My Mayan tour guide didn� know about the echoes until I demonstrated it with a handclap.)

Chirped echoes at Mayan pyramids are not just freak effects limited to these two sites. There are multiple reports of similar echoes at Mayan staircases and temples at other sites as well. Every Mayan temple having a long stone staircase that faces into an open plaza may exhibit this effect. It is much easier to find reports of these echoes than it is to get archaeologists to investigate them.

Nor is acoustical phenomenology limited to chirped echoes. Other fascinating and odd acoustical effects are reported. They need to be investigated and explained. Wayne Van Kirk has collected a number of reports under the title "Acoustics of Mayan Ruins." http://www.eden.com/~tomzap/sounds.html.

Edgerton thought the question of how Mayan Kings projected their voices to large crowds needed study. I agree, and have made a start at the temple of Kukulkan. I confirm‎! earlier reports of sound reinforcement from the top of the temple to the plaza below. Sound reinforcement may explain how the ceremony could have been heard by thousands at great pageants. I have defined an experiment to document the magnitude and extent of the sound reinforcement. I suggest that the same mechanism may have been used at other Mesoamerican pyramids. What we have here is an effective form of theater architecture unknown in western and Mediterranean tradition. Maybe the Mayan builders actually knew what they were doing.

I believe Edgerton is mistaken when he states that the quetzal was admired by the Maya "mainly so they could kill it to get its tail feathers for their helmets." Historical sources describe the method by which quetzals were captured, their feathers harvested, and the birds released to grow new feathers. The penalty for harming a quetzal was death! There is abundant evidence even today of extraordinary Mayan reverence for the quetzal.

Mayan mysteries may yield more quickly to archaeologists who open their ears and eyes to other available forms of historical evidence, including acoustics, animal behavior and modern remnants of ancient legends. Not all worthwhile archaeological knowledge lends itself to presentation in a museum display case or as a wall hanging. It may not be acousticians, but historians who limit their research scope narrowly to epigraphic interpretation, whose stories are "off the wall."

David Lubman