Picking through a chest of musical contraptions, he chose a small wooden bullroarer, an ancient ritual instrument consisting of a slat attached to a thong. After a few spins, a deep whooshing sound filled the hall. “The voice of the big spirit,” said Mr. Maioli, who has made bullroarers from various materials.

Mr. Maioli’s work fits into the vision of Gabriel Zuchtriegel, who became director of the Paestum archaeological site in 2015. Dr. Zuchtriegel has been attempting to imbue a sense of the daily life that once would have taken place in the ancient city.

Mr. Maioli’s inventions, even if hypothetical, give a sense of a dynamic civilization, Dr. Zuchtriegel said.

“Every day, there is an experience for all visitors, included in the ticket, to make this site live, to let people look at the site and the museum differently, through music,” he said. “Music is ideal because it is something understood across the board.”