Short course
Prehistoric Art
Course status:
Course ended
Location:
Online
Dates:
14/01/2026 - 25/03/2026
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£360.00
The archaeology of ancient art has much to offer for our understanding of visual culture in past societies, with a record rich with material that opens up new ways of thinking about the environment, nature, the body and the non-human world. Such an approach can lead us to consider how art (as we define it in the present day) shaped past lifeways with archaeological evidence that indicates representation, relationships and identities were expressed through image-making.
Focusing on European material and organised chronologically, we will engage with the earliest evidence we have for visual inscription. This will include cave paintings (e.g. Lascaux, France), figurines (e.g. the Venus of Willendorf, Austria) carvings (e.g. Lepenski Vir, Serbia), monuments (e.g. Newgrange, Ireland) rock art (e.g. Ilkley Moor, UK), metalwork (e.g. Gundestrup Cauldron, Denmark) and frescoes (e.g Tarquinia, Italy). This will lead to an engagement with the roles colour, technology, symbolism and materiality play in the construction of prehistoric lifeways. Our coverage will also include global ethnographic and anthropological research as analytical tools for interpretation.
We will contextualise our discussions with reference to digital sources (e.g. museum collections), readings (which we will discuss in class) and visual media (film and online presentations).
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Programme details
This course begins on the 14 Jan 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 Jan 2026, 6.30-7.30pm (UK time)
Week 1: Art in Prehistory: Course Introduction
Week 2: Art for Art’s Sake: A Closer Look at Image Making in Prehistory
Week 3: Cave Paintings and Mobile Artefacts: Art and Nature in the Palaeolithic
Week 4: Carvings and Body Ornamentation: Representation and Mesolithic Art
Week 5: Circles, Spirals and Metaphors: Visual Inscription in the Neolithic
Half Term Break
Week 6: Colurways and Carvings: Material Creativity in the Bronze Age
Week 7: Corporeality and the ‘Celts’: Art and Identities in the Iron Age
Week 8: Understanding Prehistoric Art: Ethnographic Analogies
Week 9: New Ways of Thinking: Interpreting Prehistoric Art
Week 10: Prehistoric Art: Course Summary
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. 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. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements
Course aims
- To provide an introductory approach to art in prehistoric archaeology and use this basis to show how the skills and techniques covered in the classes can be used for further studies on prehistoric art.
- To familiarise students with an archaeology of prehistoric art and to develop an understanding of some of the key issues relating to visual culture in the archaeological record.
- To develop analytical skills in the interpretation of prehistoric art and to show how the evidence relates to how we understand past societies.
- To encourage students to develop their interests through site visits and further study.
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 14 Jan 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 Jan 2026, 6.30-7.30pm (UK time)
Week 1: Art in Prehistory: Course Introduction
Week 2: Art for Art’s Sake: A Closer Look at Image Making in Prehistory
Week 3: Cave Paintings and Mobile Artefacts: Art and Nature in the Palaeolithic
Week 4: Carvings and Body Ornamentation: Representation and Mesolithic Art
Week 5: Circles, Spirals and Metaphors: Visual Inscription in the Neolithic
Half Term Break
Week 6: Colurways and Carvings: Material Creativity in the Bronze Age
Week 7: Corporeality and the ‘Celts’: Art and Identities in the Iron Age
Week 8: Understanding Prehistoric Art: Ethnographic Analogies
Week 9: New Ways of Thinking: Interpreting Prehistoric Art
Week 10: Prehistoric Art: Course Summary
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- demonstrate introductory knowledge of the archaeology of prehistoric art;
- have some critical awareness of the key issues relevant to art making in prehistory;
- be aware of how archaeological analytical techniques and interpretations can be used to better understand the making of art in prehistory.
Assessment methods
You will be set independent formative and summative work for this course. Formative work will be submitted for informal assessment and feedback from your tutor, but has no impact on your final grade. The summative work will be formally assessed as pass or fail.
Fay Stevens
Fay Stevens is Head of Programmes (Social Sciences), Departmental Lecturer in Archaeological Theory Methods and Approaches, Director of the Undergraduate Certificate in Archaeology and Director of the Oxford/Berkeley Programme. She is an award-winning researcher and lecturer, elected Fellow of The Society of Antiquaries London, elected Fellow of the Linnean Society London and awarded Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Fay has experience of working (research and teaching) in a wide range of international universities and projects. This includes the Dean’s award for outstanding contribution to teaching and learning from the University of Reading (UK) and as Adjunct Associate Professor for the University of Notre Dame (U.S.A. In England).
Assessment methods
You will be set independent formative and summative work for this course. Formative work will be submitted for informal assessment and feedback from your tutor, but has no impact on your final grade. The summative work will be formally assessed as pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. 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. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £360.00 |
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