The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum is a vast subterranean complex carved entirely from the bedrock. Spiraling downwards into the earth with intricate chambers. And it’s secrets aren’t just carved in stone. They are in the very air of the chambers itself.
Among the many chambers one stands out for it’s unique acoustic properties and the profound sense it evokes. This is the Oracle Room.
Another marvel of ancient engineering.
The Hypogeum (meaning ‘underground’ in Greek) was repurposed as a burial chamber, but it’s original function was a temple. Designed in a way to allow light to penetrate into the lower chambers… Intricate patterns can still be seen painted on the ceiling as you descend.
As our ancestors would have descended into the cool, damp, darkness… Winding their way through these passages, eventually reaching a small, oval-shaped chamber. This is the Oracle Room.
Inside is a niche carved into the wall. Speak, chant or even ‘hum’ into this niche and the sound reverberates, amplifying throughout the entire Hypogeum.
Tuning Ancient Minds.
When certain low-frequency sounds (particularly those of deep male voices or drumming) happen, they resonate through the stone and can be felt in the body.
Modern Archaeo-Acoustics Research at Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab has studied these effects… And Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum seems to exhibit a dominant resonant frequency in the range of 95-120 Hz with a peak at 110-112 Hz.
Many Pre-Historic Megalithic Structures… such as Newgrange and Loughcrew in Ireland, the Labyrinth of Ravne in Bosnia-Hezegovina, Wayland’s Smithy in Oxfordshire (and MANY more)… exhibit this same Archeo-Acoustic properties.
These ancient builders (without modern scientific instruments) understood and intentionally engineered these temple spaces to amplify particular frequencies.
Why 110 Hz?
110 Hz is in the human Vocal Range, particularly for a deep male voice chanting or singing.
Exposure to 110 Hz leads to decreased activity in the left temporal region of the brain (logical processing) and a shift to right-sided dominance in the prefrontal cortex (creativity, intuition, emotional processing, spatial awareness). This non-linear thought shifts states of consciousness and increases a sense of ‘inter-connectedness’.
Using ‘Neuro-Acoustics’ to ‘tune’ the Ancient Minds.
One of the main chambers is oriented so that sunlight on the winter solstice illuminates its façade from what would have been the original opening. Spots, spirals and honeycomb motifs are painted on the celling, these are congruent with the images seen in visionary experiences. Adjacent to the Oracle Room, is a spacious circular hall featuring distinct, inward-sloping walls, all heavily decorated with geometric spirals.
The resonance of 110 Hz within the Hypogeum would have been intentionally designed to induce profound altered states of consciousness. Descending into the earth through the dark, winding passages would be like a initial ritual… Progressively moving participants from everyday reality into a heightened state.
It’s possible this space was used for death-and-rebirth experiences, for divination and guidance. A range of objects have been unearthed there… Including: intricately decorated pottery, stone and clay beads, shell buttons, amulets and a diverse collection of carved figures depicting both humans and animals. Most famously the ‘Sleeping lady’, representing a mother goddess or the transformative death-rebirth experience.
Many human remains were also found at the site… Some of the skulls have a ‘cranial elongation’ very similar to Ancient Egyptian priestly class skulls… Suggesting an interesting connection with the people who occupied the Hypogeum, and their practices and beliefs.
The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Experience
Imagine descending into this complex… With flickering torchlight casting shadows on the carved walls, the air thick with incense… and the deep, resonant voice of a ritual leader filling the entire complex.
The vibrations enveloping the participants would have created a shared sensory experience that blurred the lines between reality, the physical and the spiritual. Forget nightclubs and cinemas, our ancestors knew how to induce altered states and create real meaningful spiritual experiences.
We’ve all felt transported at one time or another by a song. Powerful melodies and rhythms… and your toe starts tapping, your body starts swaying… and your mind drifts to another time and place.
Music has the power to alter emotions and alter states of consciousness. Ethnomusicology… Archeo-Ethnomusicology… and ASC’s