Sound and history: David Lubman's contributions to a systematic understanding of the evolution of acoustic spaces

David Lubman’s decades of work within the ASA included contributions to the study of noise, diffusion, classroom and worship space acoustics. One of his most significant achievements was his work examining the role of sound in history. While previous work in “archaeoacoustics” was mainly limited to archaeology departments, David’s work combined technical expertise with an insatiable curiosity and an unwillingness to be hemmed in by disciplinary boundaries. This talk will examine the echoes of David’s work in many modern applications of archaeoacoustics research today. It will also consider ways in which David’s example can help acoustics researchers think about history more comprehensively, as well as making the case for the importance of sound to traditional historians and humanists more generally.