The Ear of Dionysius (Italian: Orecchio di Dionisio) is a limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill in the city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily in Italy. Its name, given by the painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio, comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear. The name is also linked to echoes in the cave.[citation needed]
Exterior view in the context of the Archaeological Park. 2012
The Ear of Dionysius was most likely formed out of an old limestone quarry. It is 23 metres high and extends 65 metres back into the cliff. Horizontally, it bends in an approximate "S" shape, vertically it is tapered at the top like a teardrop. Because of its shape, the Ear has extremely good acoustics, making even a small sound resonate throughout the cave.
Purposeedit
This cave was dug in Greek/Roman times to provide water storage for Syracuse. A narrow tunnel was dug first. This tunnel was widened by digging down and sideways afterwards, giving the cave its unusual shape. The small narrow tunnel is still visible on the top of this artificial cave. An earthquake struck this area causing damage, and the cave became unusable for water storage afterwards.
The cave was named after Dionysius I of Syracuse who used the cave as a prison, and would listen to hear what his prisoners were saying about him through the echoes in the cave.
Historyedit
The name of the cave was coined in 1608 by the painter Caravaggio,[1] who was shown the grotto by the mathematician, antiquarian and archaeologist Vincenzo Mirabella. It refers to the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse. According to legend, Dionysius used the cave as a prison for political dissidents, and by means of the perfect acoustics eavesdropped on the plans and secrets of his captives. Another legend claims that Dionysius carved the cave in its shape so that it would amplify the screams of prisoners being tortured in it.[citation needed] The sound-focusing effect can no longer be heard because access to the focal point is no longer possible. The visitors of the cave can however still hear the echo while they are in the Ear of Dionysius.[citation needed]
Because of its reputation for acoustic flawlessness, the Ear of Dionysius has also come to refer to a type of ear trumpet that has a flexible tube. The term 'Ear of Dionysius' can also refer to surveillance, specifically for political gain.[citation needed]
^"Turismo a Siracusa - Algila". Retrieved 28 May 2018.
Referencesedit
Mike Metras (19 June 2013). Sicily's Historic Coasts. Lulu.com. p. 111. ISBN978-1-4303-2530-7.
External linksedit
Media related to Ear of Dionysius at Wikimedia Commons
Description of acoustics on Sound Tourism site
A guide to visiting the Ear of Dionysius
December 01, 2023
dionysius, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2016, lear. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Ear of Dionysius news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Ear of Dionysius Italian Orecchio di Dionisio is a limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily in Italy Its name given by the painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear The name is also linked to echoes in the cave citation needed Orecchio di DionisioEar of DionysiusOrecchio di DionisioLocationSyracuse SR Sicily Italy Coordinates37 04 34 45 N 15 16 34 50 E 37 0762361 N 15 2762500 E 37 0762361 15 2762500Depth70 metres 230 ft Length65 metres 213 ft Elevation400 amslEntrances1WebsiteOrecchio di Dionisio Contents 1 Geology 2 Purpose 3 History 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 Notes 6 1 References 7 External linksGeology edit nbsp Exterior view in the context of the Archaeological Park 2012The Ear of Dionysius was most likely formed out of an old limestone quarry It is 23 metres high and extends 65 metres back into the cliff Horizontally it bends in an approximate S shape vertically it is tapered at the top like a teardrop Because of its shape the Ear has extremely good acoustics making even a small sound resonate throughout the cave Purpose editThis cave was dug in Greek Roman times to provide water storage for Syracuse A narrow tunnel was dug first This tunnel was widened by digging down and sideways afterwards giving the cave its unusual shape The small narrow tunnel is still visible on the top of this artificial cave An earthquake struck this area causing damage and the cave became unusable for water storage afterwards The cave was named after Dionysius I of Syracuse who used the cave as a prison and would listen to hear what his prisoners were saying about him through the echoes in the cave History editThe name of the cave was coined in 1608 by the painter Caravaggio 1 who was shown the grotto by the mathematician antiquarian and archaeologist Vincenzo Mirabella It refers to the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse According to legend Dionysius used the cave as a prison for political dissidents and by means of the perfect acoustics eavesdropped on the plans and secrets of his captives Another legend claims that Dionysius carved the cave in its shape so that it would amplify the screams of prisoners being tortured in it citation needed The sound focusing effect can no longer be heard because access to the focal point is no longer possible The visitors of the cave can however still hear the echo while they are in the Ear of Dionysius citation needed Because of its reputation for acoustic flawlessness the Ear of Dionysius has also come to refer to a type of ear trumpet that has a flexible tube The term Ear of Dionysius can also refer to surveillance specifically for political gain citation needed In popular culture editThe cave is featured as the location of the tomb of Archimedes in the 2023 film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny See also editList of caves List of caves in ItalyNotes edit Turismo a Siracusa Algila Retrieved 28 May 2018 References edit Mike Metras 19 June 2013 Sicily s Historic Coasts Lulu com p 111 ISBN 978 1 4303 2530 7 External links edit nbsp Media related to Ear of Dionysius at Wikimedia Commons Description of acoustics on Sound Tourism site A guide to visiting the Ear of Dionysius Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ear of Dionysius amp oldid 1176136899, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
