Palaeolithic Art



Overview

The caves of France and Spain are well known for their spectacular paintings of ice-age animals, such as mammoths, horses, and bison. They were created by members of our own species during the Upper Palaeolithic. These people also decorated many objects and made figurines and ornamental items, including jewellery. This course explores the rich diversity of this art, including the various ways it was made, the materials used, and what it may have meant to the people who created it.

However, as will be examined in this course, the Upper Palaeolithic art of Europe is not the earliest. If we want to understand the origins of Palaeolithic art we need to go much further back in time. Some earlier hominins showed a distinct interest in shape and colour, for example by sometimes making well-crafted handaxes that were much more refined and symmetrical than seems necessary for functional tools. It appears the oldest cave art in Europe was not made by Homo sapiens but by our Neanderthal cousins, although we find that early modern humans in Africa were decorating themselves and various objects long before the start of the European Upper Palaeolithic.

We will also be considering the evidence for Palaeolithic art created by modern humans in regions beyond Europe, including Siberia, Indonesia, and South America.

Programme details

Course starts: 2 Oct 2024

Week 1: Searching for the beginnings of artistic expression among early hominins

Week 2: Neanderthal art

Week 3: The art and ornaments of early modern humans in Africa

Week 4: Early cave art in Indonesia: The world's oldest representational art depicts a pig!

Week 5: Early Upper Palaeolithic art in Europe

Week 6: How to decorate a cave

Week 7: Delving deeper into European cave art

Week 8: Searching for meaning

Week 9: Portable art from Upper Palaeolithic Europe

Week 10: Palaeolithic art elsewhere in the world​

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Diane Holmes

Diane Holmes has been teaching courses on human evolution and Palaeolithic archaeology for OUDCE for many years. Her main interests are Palaeolithic technology and early African prehistory, but she has also visited many rock art sites in France and North Africa.

Course aims

To provide an up-to-date introduction to Palaeolithic art, exploring its origins and development and examining the rich diversity of art found in Upper Palaeolithic Europe as well as in other parts of the world.  

Course objectives:

  • To provide an introduction to Palaeolithic art, from its earliest beginnings to the awe-inspiring imagery of the Upper Palaeolithic.
  • To familiarise students with some of the approaches to the study and analysis of Palaeolithic art.
  • To highlight some of the issues involved in our attempts to understand and interpret early prehistoric art.

Teaching methods

Teaching will be mainly in the form of illustrated lectures combined with questions and discussion in class. Students are also encouraged to undertake independent study and coursework.

 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • Have a good introductory knowledge of Palaeolithic art.
  • Have an appreciation of many of the various approaches used to investigate Palaeolithic art.
  • Have a critical awareness of key issues relevant to the study and interpretation of Palaeolithic art.

Assessment methods

Students will have the choice of preparing either several shorter pieces of coursework (total approx. 1500 words; Option A), or a single 1500-word assignment (Option B). There will be a variety of topics and questions to choose from. Guidance for producing coursework will be given by the tutor during the course.    

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting their final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support