The science of sound is known as acoustics. Precursors of the Inca were well versed in acoustics, as demonstrated by their production of POTTERY silvatos (whistles). (The Inca established an empire in what is now Peru in about A.D. 1000.)These silvatos were shaped like small human figurines and were hollow with holes in front and in the back. A hole in the top of the head served as the blowhole for the whistle. These whistles were similar in tone and sound to ocarinas.
Unlike an ocarina, each silvato produced a distinct harmonic sound that was rich in tone. Upon examining a broken silvato, archaeologists found the source of the harmonic tone. Inside were two spherically configured, partially enclosed resonance compartments, each connected to a sound hole. When the whistle was blown, the air exiting the sound holes stimulated vibrations from the resonance compartments. This overall effect produced a fuller tone than that of whistles without this ingenious feature. Pino Turolla, author of Beyond the Andes: My Search for the Origins of Pre-Inca Civilization, stated about the silvatos, “What incredible technical mastery these people had; their expertise embraced even acoustics.”
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