In the early summer of 2004, a research expedition consisting of two colleagues and me visited Canada to find out if the mysterious engraved and painted glyphs and signs of prehistoric American Indian rock art could, in a fashion, speak to us. 1 We wanted – literally – to listen rather than to look. As perverse as this seems, it was in keeping with a newly recognised aspect of archæology called “archæoacoustics”. Archæologists have finally realised that ancient people had ears, and have discovered that various kinds of acoustic effects – from eerie echoes to resonant frequencies that can affect the brain – seem to have been an intentionally planned component of a number of prehistoric sites worldwide, from ruined temples to rock art locations.