Acoustic characteristics of the Amphitheatre of Pompei: New approach for the spatial sound analysis

The archaeological discovery of the Roman Amphitheatre of Pompei started in 1748 represents another great award besides the other treasures brought to light by the scientists. Built in the Regio II, located in the south-east corner of the city, the Amphitheatre of Pompei is one of the arenas most preserved that we have. This paper deals with the acoustic measurements by using a spherical array microphone. The analysis is centered on a video overlay graphically showing the impulse response (IR). The sound intensity has been represented by contour levels overlapped to a 360° image taken at the receiver position. This methodology illustrates an alternative way to detect the direction of arrival of the sound rays other than the surfaces of the construction that participate to reflect the sound.