The volume edited by Pamela Jordan, Sara Mura and Sue Hamilton introduces readers to one of the most actively debated themes in contemporary archaeology: the use of sensory approaches in the study of the human past, examined from a range of methodological perspectives. This publication stands out as one of the few to address how a sensory study of the past can be developed into a feasible research enterprise, rather than remaining a form of academic speculation. It is worth noting that the book appears only a few years after the publication of Sensing the past: digital methods for sensory archaeologies (Landeschi & Betts Reference Landeschi and Betts2023) with which it shares certain concerns, including the focus on methodological aspects related to a sensory-based study of the past, although it also presents several significant differences that are highlighted in this review.

First, New sensory approaches to the past is primarily situated within the broader disciplinary field of cultural heritage, adopting a multiscalar and multitemporal perspective. The volume has 14 chapters, in which the authors present case studies from diverse geographical regions, effectively illustrated by the map in the preface (pp.xii–xiii).

As the editors explain, the book is the outcome of a three-year project by an interdisciplinary research team, ‘Sensing the past’, based at the University of Amsterdam. The project sought to explore how scholars working on sensoriality in the study of the past approach and conceptualise their subject of inquiry.

In Chapter 1, Hamilton provides a comprehensive overview of sensory studies of the past, offering a historical background that is essential for readers to become acquainted with the key theoretical and methodological issues discussed in the subsequent chapters. In particular, she emphasises the importance of establishing a synthesis between the phenomenological approaches introduced in the early 1990s and more recent developments in archaeological theory. These developments have contributed to the emergence of a more ‘sensory-oriented’ approach to the study of past spaces, with a strong emphasis on embodiment.

Following that, the volume is organised into three main sections, each grouping contributions according to the methodological approaches adopted by the authors in their engagement with the study of past environments. Part I presents case studies in which the embodied experience of a single researcher is used as the primary means of data collection and analysis. Autoethnographic and archaeological survey methods are introduced in Chapter 2, where Sarah Bell examines issues of absence and abandonment at Rocky Point Amusement Park in the USA. Here, the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are explored through an embodied walk within the site. In Chapter 3, Neha Khetrapal combines olfactory experience with museum artefact collections to investigate the ritual dimensions of Hindu worship. Her work adopts a contemporary perspective to better understand the sensory aspects of traditional religious practices. Emma-Jayne Graham then explores the Roman temple of Juno in Gabii by integrating sensory-based approaches that analyse the ancient spatial context. Her study merges reconstructions of past sensory experiences with modern, user-mediated perceptions, aiming to deepen our understanding of ancient religious rituals performed within the sanctuary. Another chapter presents a case study focused on the often-overlooked Swahili sites along the East African coast. In this instance, the Swahili built environment is examined through a combination of digital methods and acoustic analysis to explore how space shaped sensory perception. Notably, the study of mosques reveals how their architecture was designed to be visible from multiple directions, especially from the ocean, highlighting their symbolic significance as defining elements within Islamic urban landscapes.

In Part II, the case studies shift toward the embodied sensory experiences of multiple researchers or participants, with the aim of developing more standardised and collaborative methodologies for investigating diverse spatial contexts. This multivocal approach seeks to reduce the biases inherent in individual subjectivity. Hamilton contributes a study of social space based on in situ sensory interactions, where teams of researchers engage directly with sites to collect multisensory data. This collaborative process enables a more nuanced reconstruction of how past sensory experiences may have been perceived. In Chapter 7, Matthew Leonard explores a First World War archaeological site through a first-person, experiential approach involving members of the local community. Participants are invited to enter and move through a tunnel excavated by British troops for military purposes, engaging directly with the space through embodied, sensory experience. The aim is to involve participants in a process of active, sensorial engagement with the original context, generating new insights into the site’s heritage value. These insights emerge from the collective sharing of individual experiences, which are constructed and negotiated on site. In a comparable way, Robert Kirkbride examines the contribution of sensory-based approaches to the study of another modern archaeological context: the Kirkbride Hospital in Buffalo, USA. Here, a group of participants, referred to as ‘explorer-preservationists’, are encouraged to navigate the abandoned site independently while documenting their sensory encounters. Particular attention is given to the olfactory dimension, especially the pervasive sense of decay that characterises this type of environment, highlighting how smell can shape perceptions of abandonment and memory. Jordan and Mura’s chapter emphasises participant-led engagement, as seen in the study of Fort bij Uithoorn, the Netherlands, where individuals independently recorded their sensory experiences through surveys and interviews. The findings highlight how sensory perceptions shape people’s understanding of historical sites and support the integration of sensory data into heritage conservation.

Part III brings together a set of contributions that shift the focus of sensory research from human-centred, embodied experience to the use of digital technologies. In these studies, the act of sensing is partially ‘outsourced’ to instruments designed to capture specific types of sensory data using controlled and repeatable parameters. A key theme across these chapters is the use of digital tools to recreate and simulate past sensory environments. For instance, the work of Aliaa el-Dardiry, Ahmed El Antably and Ahmed Ali Elkhateeb demonstrates how combining architectural reconstruction with auralisation techniques can illuminate the historical functions of the Ottoman Sabīl wa Kuttāb of Ismaʽil al-Maghlawī in Cairo. By embedding soundscapes within a digital gaming platform, their project moves beyond purely visual reconstructions and offers an immersive representation of the site’s auditory and social dynamics, highlighting the importance of sound in everyday communal life. Similarly, Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Lidia Álvarez-Morales and Neemias Santos da Rosa provide a broader methodological reflection on the development of archaeoacoustics. Tracing its evolution from early observational approaches to more rigorous, technology-driven analyses, they point out the important role of tools such as Ambisonics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in studying the acoustic properties of Palaeolithic rock art sites. Their contribution underscores both the potential and the limitations of these techniques, advocating for interdisciplinary collaboration as a means of refining analytical frameworks and improving interpretative accuracy. The integration of digital and experiential methods is further explored by Jacqueline Ortoleva, whose research on painted Etruscan tombs combines in situ acoustic measurements with digital and live simulations. By examining how sound behaves within these enclosed spaces and correlating these findings with visual representations of musical instruments, she reconstructs the sensory interplay between auditory and visual elements in funerary rituals. This approach provides a holistic understanding of how such environments were experienced in antiquity. Finally, Antonio LoPiano highlights the potential of geospatial and geophysical technologies, particularly GIS and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), in both research and public engagement. By enabling the visualisation of subsurface archaeological features in real time, these tools reveal otherwise invisible aspects of ancient landscapes. This not only enhances scholarly interpretation but also transforms how visitors interact with archaeological sites, fostering a more dynamic and immersive engagement with cultural heritage.

The volume provides a critical and wide-ranging overview of sensory approaches within heritage studies, with particular attention to case studies drawn from geographical regions and chronological contexts that have often been overlooked. As the various contributions demonstrate, the field is still developing, and further methodological integration is needed to fully realise the potential of a more sensory-oriented engagement with the past.