This paper studies the ancient theatres at Mieza and Philippi in north Greece. Built in late Hellenistic and Classic times respectively, the theatres are relatively small but rather representative of that time. A focus of the study is the effect of contemporary scenery designs on the soundscape of the theatres. The paper briefly discusses the methodology used for the three-dimensional representation of ancient theatres and appropriate parameters for acoustic computer simulation. Following the background information of the theatres, systematic simulation results are presented. Various acoustic indices are considered, including sound pressure level distribution, reverberation, and clarity. In addition to colour maps of the whole audience area, detailed analysis at typical receivers is made, with energy responses presented. A number of generic scenery designs are simulated and the effects of shape and surface absorption/diffusion characteristics are studied. It is suggested that sceneries with several smaller objects provide better acoustic quality than simple geometrical shapes.
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