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Childe and Oxford

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Timothy Champion
Timothy Champion*
Affiliation:
University of Southampton, UK
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Abstract

Childe's time as a student in Oxford has received little critical attention, partly because of an apparent lack of evidence. His reasons for going to Oxford are explored, and attention is drawn to two factors: the role of one of his tutors in Sydney, W.J. Woodhouse; and the state of prehistoric European studies in England at the time, dominated by Oxford and the figures of Arthur Evans and John Myres. Childe's study visit to Greece in 1915 is discussed and it is suggested that he had already embarked on his major research project before it was interrupted by the unexpected duration of the First World War. He left Oxford in 1917 to return to Australia, and though he may have feared conscription, the impossibility of pursuing his archaeological research was also a critical factor. In 1921 Childe returned to England and soon resumed the project he had started and suspended.

Le temps où Childe étudiait à Oxford n'a guère été analysé jusqu'à présent, en partie parce qu'il n'existe que peu de témoignages. On examine ici les raisons qui l'avaient poussé à aller à Oxford, et on attire l'attention sur deux éléments : le rôle d'un de ses tuteurs à Sydney, W. J. Woodhouse, et l'état à cette époque des recherches préhistoriques européennes en Angleterre, dominées par Oxford et les personnalités de Arthur Evans et John Myres. La visite éducative de Childe en Grèce en 1915 est également considérée, et on suggère qu'il avait déjà entamé son projet de recherche majeur avant que celui-ci ne soit interrompu par la durée imprévue de la Première Guerre Mondiale. Il quittait Oxford en 1917 pour retourner en Australie et, bien qu'il ait pu craindre l'enrôlement, l'impossibilité de poursuivre ses recherches archéologiques était aussi un élément important. Childe revenait en Angleterre en 1921 et reprenait sans tarder son projet délaissé provisoirement.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Childes Studentenzeit in Oxford wurde bislang nur geringe kritische Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt, was teilweise aus einem scheinbaren Mangel an Belegen rührt. Seine Beweggründe, in Oxford zu studieren, wurden untersucht und zwei Faktoren besonders hervorgehoben: die Rolle seines Tutors in Sydney, W. J. Woodhouse, und der damalige Status des Studiums der europäischen Vorgeschichte in England, das von Oxford und den Personen Arthur Evans und John Myres dominiert wurde. Childes Studienreise nach Griechenland im Jahr 1915 wird diskutiert und es wird vorgeschlagen, dass er bereits sein hauptsächliches Forschungsprojekt begonnen hat, bevor dieses Vorhaben vom unerwarteten Andauern des I. Weltkrieges unterbrochen wurde. Er verließ Oxford 1917, um nach Australien zurückzukehren; und wenngleich er die Einberufung zum Kriegsdienst gefürchtet haben mag, war die Unmöglichkeit der Fortführung seiner archäologischen Forschung auch ein maßgeblicher Faktor. 1921 kehrte Childe nach England zurück und nahm bald das Projekt, das er begonnen und unterbrochen hatte, wieder auf.

Keywords

First World Warhistory of archaeologyJohn Linton MyresOxfordOxford UniversityVere Gordon Childehistoire de l'archéologieJohn Linton MyresOxfordUniversité d'OxfordVere Gordon ChildePremière Guerre MondialeGeschichte der ArchäologieJohn Linton MyresOxfordUniversität OxfordVere Gordon ChildeI. Weltkrieg
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 12 , Issue 1-3 , 2009 , pp. 11 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Sage Publications 

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