Salford researcher to undertake archaeoacoustic project at Rollright stones

Paul Vivian, Director of Art and Design at the University of Salford, has secured permission from Historic England and the Rollright Trust to undertake the study at the Rollright stones in Oxfordshire from March to May 2026.

The site, steeped in ancient folklore, spans nearly 2,000 years of neolithic and Bronze Age history, including the prominent King’s Men stone circle – a collection of over 70 standing stones - which dates back to the late Neolithic period (2,500 BC).

Paul is partnering with independent researcher and professional dowser Shaun Holbrow on the experiment which will see the duo seek to record the site’s cymatic formations and seismic resonance.

The experiment is inspired by the research of Paul Devereux and the Dragon Project, who carried out archaeoacoustic and atmospheric anomaly investigations at the site and concluded that ultrasonic pulsing could be detected at the King Stone at sunrise.

The researchers hope to be able to gather evidence to prove that there is an existing cymatic pattern present at the site and record its energy lines to provide clarity as to why the site’s stones are structured in the way they are. The duo will use dowsing as part of their research – the ancient practice of holding twigs or metal rods that are supposed to move in response to discovering ground water – a process which has been refuted as a pseudoscience but was later found to have been practiced by a number of UK water firms in 2017.

Paul said: “What we are seeking to do here is quite revolutionary.

“We are trying to prove that there is a cymatic pattern at the Rollright stones and record its energy lines.

“If we can map the site’s energy blueprint, it could provide a reason as to why the stones are structured the way they are, challenging traditional celestial or topographic theories of origin.

“That will provide evidence to the idea that when these structures were being built, the builders understood that these sites were on energy lines and built them to harness the energy or these cymatics accordingly.”

Paul, who has previously presented his research at Manchester Metropolitan University, The University for the Creative Arts and Birkbeck University, has visited over thirty Neolithic and Bronze Age sites after first experiencing ambient acoustic resonance at the Swinside Stone Circle in the Lake District back in January 2023.

This journey led to contact, ambient and seismic recordings at sites in Derbyshire, the Lake District, Northumberland, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Wales and most recently Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe in Turkey.

The experiment at the Rollrights follows an extensive application process with the public body to secure permission, which included a 35-page Statement of Intent.

Paul added: “It’s amazing to have Historic England to agree to this project as it could help uncover real archaeoacoustic data that would help us understand how certain structures reframing these sites from being seen simply as ancient ritual monuments to living environmental sensing structures attuned to the earth.”