OSHER 371 - Art History Survey: Prehistoric, Ancient Near East and Egypt

This course is intended to be an ongoing survey of art history that covers the ancient world to the contemporary art scene. This semester will cover the earliest human creative endeavors in the Prehistoric world including cave art and Stone Age sculpture. Then we move to the ancient Near East including temples, statues, and some of the grandest palaces of the Persian empire. This part of the series will conclude with an overview of Egyptian art and religion, including pyramids, tombs, hieroglyphics, and art that reveal the mysteries of this ancient and powerful civilization in anticipation of the next semester covering Ancient Greece and Rome. We will draw from Howard Gardner's "Art Through the Ages" and online sources such as SmartHistory. No textbook is required.