Identified by many as “architecture in the negative,” the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni in Malta is the world’s only prehistoric underground temple, which holds a unique secret: it resonates at what some call the ‘holy frequency’. Well, listen and decide.
The Hypogeum, as the subterranean structure that dates back to nearly 5,000 years ago is often simply referred to, is shrouded in mystery, from the discovery of elongated skulls to stories of paranormal phenomena occurring within its ancient walls. It is thought to have been a sanctuary and necropolis, with the remains of more than 7,000 people found by archeologists, and is among the best preserved examples of the Maltese temple building culture that also produced the Megalithic Temples and Xagħra Stone Circle. But the characteristic that has preoccupied scientists the most is the unique acoustic properties found in its underground chambers.
The Hypogeum is the only known example of a subterranean structure from the Bronze Age. The ‘labyrinth’, as it is often called, consists of a series of elliptical chambers and alveoli across three levels, which can be accessed through different corridors. The principal rooms are distinguished by their domed vaulting and by the elaborate structure of false bays inspired by the doorways and windows of contemporary above-the-ground constructions.
Scientists think the Hypogeum was originally used as a sanctuary, possibly for an oracle. Therefore, a unique chamber within the structure which is carved out of solid limestone and demonstrates incredible acoustic properties, has been named the ‘Oracle Chamber’. According to UNESCO, which added the Hypogeum to its World Heritage Site list in 1980:
“In one of these decorated chambers, there is a small niche which echoes when someone speaks into it. While this effect may not have been created intentionally, it may well have been exploited as part of the rituals that took place in the chambers.”
A word spoken in the Oracle Chamber is magnified a hundredfold and is audible throughout the entire structure. According to some accounts, it creates an effect throughout the Hypogeum that is like being inside a giant bell. At certain pitches, the listener feels the sound vibrating in bone and tissue as much as hearing it in the ear. According to arts and architecture critic Richard Storm: “Because you sense something coming from somewhere else you can’t identify, you are transfixed.”
“The effect upon the credulous can be imagined when the oracle spoke and the words came thundering forth through the dark and mysterious place with terrifying impressiveness,” writes William Arthur Griffiths, author of Malta and its Recently Discovered Prehistoric Temples.
The amazing acoustic properties experienced within the structure have already been studied extensively. Maltese composer Ruben Zahra and an Italian research team found that sound resonates at 110 Hz within the Oracle Chamber, which matches findings from many other Neolithic chambers around the world, such as the one in Newgrange, Ireland, for example. Robert Jahn from Princeton University believes it may be the room’s dimensions or the stone’s quality that determines the exact pitch of this echo behavior.
But the question remains – was this effect intentional? Was the Hypogeum actually designed to create it? If so, why? Could it be that our ancestors knew something that we are just rediscovering now?
One theory put forward by Paolo Debertolis and Niccolo Bisconti of the Universities of Triest and Siena respectively, is that the chamber was constructed to create acoustics that affect people’s psyche, perhaps to enhance mystical experiences during rituals – an idea that has received considerable scientific backing. In 2008, Ian Cook of UCLA and colleagues conducted an experiment in which regional brain activity in a number of healthy volunteers was monitored by EEG through exposure to different resonance frequencies. They found that at 110/111 Hz brain activity is significantly reduced in language centers, allowing other processes to become more prominent. According to Paul Devereux, an archaeo-acoustician professor from Cambridge, this kind of brain activity is associated with a half-awake/half-asleep hypnologic state involving vivid mental imagery and auditory hallucinations. This kind of shift does not seem to occur at other frequencies.
Well, then, it’s time to listen to the ‘God Frequency’. Or at least something like that.
All that’s written about means that the people who took part in ritual chanting, for example, within the premises of the Hypogeum, may have exposed themselves to vibrations that impacted their brain activity – just like this video may have impacted yours. But, of course, that stuff was different – probably actually making you vibrate at that certain frequency – flesh and guts included. According to bio-behavioural scientists, the experience could have ‘switched on’ an area which relates to mood, empathy and social behavior.
Recently, a multi-disciplinary team undertook an unprecedented experiment whereby they placed microphones in the Oracle Chamber and used digital recorders to test the chamber’s response to different voices and simple musical instruments that could have been present at the time the Hypogeum was in use (∼4000 – 2,500 BC). The researchers found that a male human voice can stimulate the resonance of the structure at two frequencies (114 Hz and 68-70 Hz), a horn and conch shell do not create any resonance at all, while a friction drum produces low resonance. Interestingly, a shamanic drum made of natural skin hoop created a strong stimulation of resonance at 114 Hz, and a similar response was produced by a male voice singing ‘oooh’ (while a female voice did not produce the same effect).
Despite the existing research on the acoustic properties of the Oracle Chamber, there remain just as many questions as answers. Nevertheless, scientists are moving closer and closer to unravelling the mysteries of this ancient and astounding site.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5