View source for Ear of Dionysius

{{Short description|Limestone cave in Syracuse, Sicily}}
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  {{more citations needed|date=June 2016}}
  {{single source|date=April 2024}}
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{{Infobox cave
| name = Orecchio di Dionisio<br>''Ear of Dionysius''
| other_name = Orecchio di Dionisio
| photo = Ear of Dionysius.jpg
| photo_width = 280
| photo_caption = 
| location = {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] ([[Province of Syracuse|SR]], [[Sicily]], [[Italy]])
| coords = {{coord|37|04|34.45|N|15|16|34.50|E|region:IT_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = 
| depth = {{convert|70|m}}
| length = {{convert|65|m}}
| elevation = 400 [[Above mean sea level|amsl]]
| survey = 
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| geology = 
| entrance_count = 1
| entrance_list = 
| difficulty = 
| hazards = 
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| show_cave_length = 
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| website = [http://www.arkeomania.com/orecchiodidionisio.html Orecchio di Dionisio]
}}
The '''Ear of Dionysius''' ({{langx|it|Orecchio di Dionisio}}) is a [[limestone]] cave carved out of the Temenites hill in the city of [[Syracuse, Italy|Syracuse]], on the island of [[Sicily]] in [[Italy]]. Its name, given by the painter [[Caravaggio|Michelangelo da Caravaggio]], comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear; it has also been linked to a legend that the tyrant [[Dionysius I of Syracuse]] engineered or used the cave's acoustic properties to amplify the voices or screams of prisoners interred and tortured there.

==Geology==
[[File:The Ear of Dionysius.jpg|thumb|Exterior view, 2025]]
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 [[resonance|resonate]] throughout the cave.{{Refn|{{cite book| last=Radau| first=Rodolphe| date=1872| title=Wonders of Acoustics: Or, The Phenomena of Sound| publisher=Scribner, Armstrong and Company| place=New York| page=65| url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Wonders_of_Acoustics_Or_The_Phenomena_of/67wIAAAAIAAJ| via=Google Books}}}}

==Purpose==
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{{when|date=December 2023}} causing damage, and the cave became unusable for water storage afterwards.

==History==
The name of the cave was coined in 1608 by the painter [[Caravaggio]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.algila.it/en/syracuse-and-surrounding/ortigia/l-orecchio-di-dionisio-the-ear-of-dionysius-in-syracuse-/126/|title=Turismo a Siracusa - Algila|access-date=28 May 2018|archive-date=30 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230141133/https://www.algila.it/en/syracuse-and-surrounding/ortigia/l-orecchio-di-dionisio-the-ear-of-dionysius-in-syracuse-/126/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.{{Refn|name=IannaceEtAl2}} Another legend claims that Dionysius carved the cave in its shape so that it would amplify the screams of prisoners being tortured in it.{{refn|{{cite book| last=Newell| first=Walter R.| date=2019| title=Tyrants: Power, Injustice, and Terror| publisher=Cambridge University Press| page=51| isbn=978-1-108-71391-7}}}} The sound-focusing effect can no longer be heard because access to the focal point is no longer possible.{{Refn|{{cite book| last=Iannace| first=G.| last2=Marletta| first2=L.| last3=Sicurella| first3=F.| last4=Ianiello | first4=Elvira|date=2010| title=InterNoise 2010| chapter=Acoustic Measurements in the Ear of Dionysus at Syracuse (Italy)| page=2|url=https://www.academia.edu/32922380/| via=Academia.edu| url-access=registration}}|name=IannaceEtAl2}} Visitors to the cave can however still hear the echo while they are in the Ear of Dionysius.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

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.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

== In popular culture ==
The cave is featured as the location of the tomb of [[Archimedes]] in the 2023 film ''[[Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny]]''. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Mangold |first1=James |title=Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny |date=2023 |publisher=Walt Disney Pictures |time=1:41:30}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of caves]]
*[[List of caves in Italy]]
*{{anli|Whispering gallery}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons-inline|Category:Orecchio di Dionisio (Syracuse)|Ear of Dionysius}}
*[http://www.sonicwonders.org/?p=1086 Description of acoustics on Sound Tourism site]
*[https://www.203challenges.com/the-ear-of-dionysius-in-syracuse-a-spot-not-to-whisper-your-secrets/ A guide to visiting the Ear of Dionysius]

{{Archaeological sites in Sicily}}

[[Category:Rock-cut architecture of Italy]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Sicily]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Syracuse, Sicily]]
[[Category:Ancient Syracuse]]
[[Category:Ear]]