The Aztec death whistle scream was the last thing many people heard before meeting their untimely deaths. The chilling noise is described as “the scariest sound in the world”, a cross between eerie whistling wind and “the screams of a thousand dead”. The research revealed that this tool is as frightening to people today as it was 500 years ago.
Scientists from the University of Zurich played the sound of the Aztec death whistle to a group of volunteers and recorded their brain responses. Participants in the experiment reported feeling fear. Brain scans showed that the sound put the listener on high alert, activating nerve areas associated with basic emotions such as anger, fear and grief.
It turns out that the death whistle is most similar to gunshots, sirens, angry voices, and screams of pain or fear in terms of its effect on the listener. Participants also named a range of sounds, such as the noise of a kettle, a chainsaw, a train or a car.
Researchers believe that whistles may have been used to scare victims and bystanders during human sacrifice rituals. “The sound is harsh and shrill, and listeners generally do not like this type of sound,” lead author of the study, Professor Sascha Früchholz, told the Daily Mail.
Aztec death whistles, or skull whistles, are an unusual musical instrument found in tombs dating from 1250 to 1521 AD. Their unusual skull-like shape baffled archaeologists for years, until an intrepid explorer decided to blow a hole in the top of one of the artifacts. When played with force, the result was a cacophonous, piercing howl reminiscent of human screams.
Archaeologists are not yet sure what these unusual tools were used for, but some speculate they were either used to intimidate the enemy during battle or as part of human sacrifice rituals.
Previous research has shown that a death whistle works by producing multiple tones simultaneously when air in different chambers collide. By analyzing the acoustic profile of different whistles, the researchers found that the resulting “loud and rough” sound profile contained effects commonly found in primate calls and “scary music.”
We previously wrote that an unknown Mayan metropolis was found in Mexico. Details are here.
Source: People Talk
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
