Question

In his first-century BCE treatise De Architectura, Vitruvius described the placement of tuned bronze vessels (echeia) within niches in Roman theaters, asserting that they amplified vocal frequencies through harmonic resonance. Modern acousticians widely question whether these classical bronze vessels produced measurable amplification in open-air amphitheaters. Nonetheless, medieval builders across Northern Europe frequently embedded unglazed earthenware pots into the high masonry vaults and choir walls of gothic churches. Twentieth-century historians initially assumed these medieval masons were attempting a direct, albeit technically flawed, revival of Vitruvian acoustic amplification. Recent experimental archaeology, however, demonstrates that earthenware pots embedded in porous mortar act as cavity resonators that selectively absorb sound within narrow, low-to-mid frequency bands. In reverberant stone interiors characterized by prolonged decay times that render spoken liturgy unintelligible, such targeted attenuation of lower resonant frequencies mitigates acoustic muddiness without dampening higher consonant sounds. Thus, while medieval masons lacked modern wave theory, their empirical placement of cavity resonators served a functional role in enhancing speech clarity rather than a failed attempt at sound amplification.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements are logically supported by the text? (Select all that apply)