Art-Arch 131 - Art and War at the Dawn of Civilization

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

War is evil and has caused great harm to society. Contrary to commonly held belief, war-as opposed to strife-is neither a natural state of mankind nor has it always been a necessary evil. This course explores the origins, development, and impact of warfare by examining works of art. Warfare emerged during the Bronze Age and was documented not in historical treatises but in various works of art and architecture that need art historical interpretation. In this class, we analyze normal strife as documented in predynastic Egypt and the more normal state of affairs in predynastic Mesopotamia, where there was no war whatsoever but the society was instead completely matriarchal. We then witness how the discovery of metallurgy ca. 3000 bce quickly brought about warfare in Mesopotamia and follow the extraordinary developments of warfare in the ancient world that gradually made it the necessary evil we know today. No prerequisite.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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