Can You Hear a Pin Drop at the Back of an Amphitheater?

A recent study tested a guidebook’s claim that whispers and pin-drops could be heard at the back of the ancient Greek amphitheater of Epidaurus (an outdoor theater still in use today). The study revealed those claims are slightly exaggerated. Someone sitting in the back can’t hear a pin drop, but the sound of a coin dropping would be faintly heard even by those in the back. Those are some impressive acoustics!

Without the help of modern tools or equipment, the ancient Greeks designed and built an amphitheater that is so precise a coin drop can be heard by those in the back.

From a biblical perspective, ancient man was highly intelligent. Without the help of modern tools or equipment, the ancient Greeks designed and built an amphitheater that is so precise a coin drop can be heard by those in the back. And perhaps the ancient Greeks had better hearing than we do today—and maybe some innovative tools better than ours? After all, we’re millennia further from God’s original perfect design than they were. Maybe they could indeed hear a pin-drop!

But, as amazing as this is, what’s even more phenomenal is the fact that we hear at all—and hear something as faint as a coin drop from far away! Our ears have been marvelously designed by our Creator to hear very faint and very loud sounds without being destroyed. He truly is a wonderful designer.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
    the Lord has made them both. (Proverbs 20:12)

You can learn more about the remarkable design of the human ear in Dr. David Menton’s DVD presentation, The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye, or his Answers magazine article “The Hearing Ear.” AiG’s Dr. Menton is a fantastic communicator.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.