How Do You Do in London, Middlesex

Curious voices and hidden listening devices in ancient tales

Plutarch notes Carus Graechus fed by a servant with a pitch pipe to calm his loud speaking. Dionysius of Syracuse built a labyrinth called the ear to eavesdrop from a funnel above. An Staffordshire historian recounts an idiot who began counting hours with a clock’s strike, even when the clock ceased to function.