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Around the World March 1, 2011

Acoustic scientists have resurrected the ancient, booming sound of decorated shell trumpets from Chaví n de Huántar by playing the 2,500-year-old pre-Inca instruments.
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PERU: Acoustic scientists have resurrected the ancient, booming sound of decorated shell trumpets from Chaví n de Huántar by playing the 2,500-year-old pre-Inca instruments. They also used computers to simulate the acoustic properties of the site's ceremonial center and found that the sound from a shell trumpet—20 were found at the site—could have created sensory disorientation that might have been used in rituals or to enforce social hierarchy.

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