Reports by R.G. Collingwood to the Faculty of Literae Humaniores

Appendix 2 Reports by R.G. Collingwood to the Faculty of Literae Humaniores

Report on quinquennium as University Lecturer, from summer 1927 to time of writing in January 19321

By appointing me Lecturer in Philosophy and Roman History, I understand the University to mean, not only that I am to study and teach these two subjects, but also that I am to study and teach them in their mutual connexions: i.e. in philosophy, to investigate the philosophy of history, and, in history, not to neglect the methods and logic of historical work, and to emphasize the relation between history and its sources. Apart, therefore, from my ordinary work as a College tutor in philosophy, of which I say nothing, I have devoted my leisure to the following five projects: 1. Corpus of Roman Inscriptions in Britain, begun in 1920 and planned to take 20 years; every inscription to be illustrated with a facsimile drawing by myself. 2. An archaeological textbook of the materials used in the study of Roman Britain. 3. A large-scale work on Hadrian’s Wall, with special reference to the problems of archaeological method there arising. 4. A history of Roman Britain with special reference to the relation between Roman and Celtic elements in its civilisation to form vol. I of the Oxford History of England. 5. A study of the philosophical problems arising out of history: especially (a) logi- cal and epistemological problems connected with the question ‘how is historical knowledge possible?’, (b) metaphysical problems concerned with the nature and reality of the objects of historical thought. During this period, the above projects have advanced as follows: 1. The drawings made have risen from about 600 to about 1,100. The whole material has been arranged and indexed. 2. The book is now published (no. 13 in the annexed list). 3. The Clarendon Press has agreed to publish the book; all the excavators and local archaeologists are assisting in a co-ordinated scheme of research; several prelim- inary studies have been written, e.g. no. 14 in the annexed list. In this connexion I have travelled in Germany to study the similar remains there and to compare our methods of research with those of the Germans.

1 Oxford University Archives, Reports of the Board of the Faculty of Literae Humaniores, 1912–41, LH/R/1/5, 83.

4. This book will gather up all the results of my studies on Roman Britain. In order to equip myself for it I have embarked on two new lines of study: (a) Prehistoric Britain, with special reference to the Celtic Iron Age; (b) the Roman occupation of other Western provinces, for purposes of com- parison. I have chosen Spain for special study, and have been travelling there and reading on the subject for the last 2 years. 5. This I regard as my chief work, involving the whole of my philosophical and historical studies in their mutual connexions. I am of opinion that there is important work to be done here, and that it cannot be done except by a trained and practising historian who is also in constant work as a philosopher. This opinion has been strengthened by much reading in the last 4 years, and by gradu- ally reaching, in that time, a provisional solution of most of the chief problems. Some results of this study are published in nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 10 of the annexed list. No. 1 is in effect the synopsis of a complete treatise, but I do not intend to begin writing such a treatise until I have done several years’ work on various aspects of the subject. In conclusion, I may state that project no. 1 was my legacy from the late Professor Haverfield; the others have been rendered possible only by my appointment as University Lecturer and my consequent command of leisure.

Appendix

I List of Lectures, 1927–1931 A Philosophical Moral Philosophy: general course, given yearly: 16 lectures. Revised yearly and rewritten on a new plan in 1929. Philosophy of History: 16 lectures, given yearly. Completely rewritten 1928; revised yearly. Early Greek Philosophy: A single lecture.

B Historical Roman Britain: A general course, given yearly: 16 lectures. Revised yearly. The above are public lectures under the Faculty of Lit. Hum. The following are the most important lectures, unpublished, given outside Oxford: Recent advances in the study of Roman Britain. The J.H. Gray lectures at Cambridge, 1930. Aesthetic Theory and Artistic Practice. Address to the British Institute of Philosophical Studies, 1931.

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II List of Publications, 1927–1931 A Philosophical Books and pamphlets: 1. The Philosophy of History (Historical Association) 2. Faith & Reason (Benn’s ‘Affirmations’) Articles: 3. Aesthetics (in the Volume ‘The Mind’, ed. R.J.C. McDowall) 4. The Theory of Historical Cycles (Antiquity) I. Oswald Spengler II. Cycles and Progress 5. The Limits of Historical Knowledge (J.Phil.Stud.) 6. Progress and History (The Realist) 7. Political Action (Proc. Arist. Soc.) Translations: 8. G. de Ruggiero, History of European Liberalism 8a. G. de Ruggiero, Science, History & Philosophy (in Philosophy) 9. B. Croce, art. Aesthetics in Encycl. Brit. Reviews of books: About 20, the most important being 10. J.B. Bury, Posthumous Essays (Eng. Hist. Rev.: on the philosophy of history) 11. A.E. Taylor, Plato, the man & his work (Criterion) 12. G. Santayana, The Realm of Essence (Adelphi)

B Roman History and Archaeology Books and pamphlets: 13. The Archaeology of Roman Britain 14. The Book of the Pilgrimage of Hadrian’s Wall 15. Roman Eskdale Articles (omitting a number of short articles on matters of detail): (a) General, on Roman Britain 16. Town & Country in Roman Britain (Antiquity) 17. Romano-Celtic Art in Northumbria (Archaeologia) 18. Hadrian’s Wall: 1921–1930 (J.Rom.St.) 19. Ten Years’ Work on Hadrian’s Wall (Cumb.&West.Trans.) (b) Topographical studies 20. Hardknot Castle (C.&W. Trans.) 21. Roman Ravenglass (C.&W. Trans.) 22. Old Carlisle (C.&W. Trans.) 23. Roman Fort at Watercrook, Kendal (C.&W. Trans.) 24. Roman signal-stations on the Cumberland coast (C.&W. Trans.)

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(c) Catalogues 25. Scaleby Castle Roman Antiquities (C.&W. Trans.) 26. Roman objects from Stanwix and Thatcham (Antiq. J.) 27. Roman objects in the Craven Museum (C.&W. Trans.) (d) Excavation reports 28. Excavations at Brough-by-Bainbridge (Leeds Phil. Soc.) 29. Roman Fortlet on Barrock Fell (C.&W. Trans.) Reviews of books About 30, the most important being: 30. Rostovtseff, Social & Economic History (Antiquity) 31. Dill, Roman Society in Gaul in the Merovingian Age (Antiquity) 32. Bury, Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians (Antiquity) 33. Zachrisson, Romans, Kelts & Saxons in Ancient Britain (J.R.S.) 34. Fabricius, Der Obergermanisch-rätische Limes, 47 (J.R.S.) 35. Stähelin, Die Schweiz in röm. Zeit (J.R.S.) In collaboration (the most important items only): 36. Roman London (Royal Commission on Historical Monuments: by an ad hoc Committee, of which I was chairman) 37. Roman Britain in 1927 (with Miss M.V. Taylor: J.R.S.) 38. Roman Britain in 1928 (with Miss M.V. Taylor: J.R.S.) 39. Roman Britain in 1929 (with Miss M.V. Taylor: J.R.S.) 40. Roman Britain in 1930 (with Miss M.V. Taylor: J.R.S.) 41. Review of Schulten, Numantia, vol. II (with Miss M.I. Munro: J.R.S.)

R.G. Collingwood 12-1-32

Report as university lecturer in Philosophy and Roman History for the three years Michaelmas 1932 – Michaelmas 19352

I General Observations 1. Time has been spent about equally on the two subjects: the academic year 1932– 3 chiefly on philosophy with some Roman history, 1933–4 almost exclusively on philosophy, 1934–5 almost exclusively on Roman history.

2 Oxford University Archives, Reports of the Board of the Faculty of Literae Humaniores, 1912– 41, LH/R/1/6, 76.

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2. In philosophy I have been working (a) at the problem of method, (b) at metaphysical and in particular cosmological problems, upon which my main interest is at present concentrated. 3. In Roman History I have been concentrating upon (a) the economic aspects of provincial history (always with special reference to Britain), (b) the relation between Romanized provincial life and its pre-Roman substratum; since I find that current conceptions of Romanization are vitiated by lack of contact between Roman historians and ‘prehistoric’ archaeologists, which has hitherto made it impossible to form a just estimate of the work done by the Roman Empire in (at any rate) the Celtic provinces. 4. Publications during this period have been relatively few, because I have been, almost the whole time, preparing material for certain large works not yet written: these should be completed in the next 3 years or so if I continue to have leisure for them.

II Philosophy (a) Lectures given in Oxford 1. Moral Philosophy. In the long vacation of 1932 I completely rewrote my lectures on this subject and delivered them MT. 1932. In the long vacation 1933 I again thoroughly revised them, rewriting about half, adding a good deal of new material and omitting some old, and delivered them in this shape MT. 1933. 2. Philosophical Method. A new course delivered TT. 1933, covering roughly the same ground as my book (see below). 3. The Nature and Scope of Metaphysics. Two lectures given HT. 1934 as part of a ‘circus’ course of metaphysics. 4. Nature and Mind. A new course delivered MT. 1934. An historical review of philosophical theories of Nature, with special reference to its relation with Mind (as knower, as creator, as evolutionary product, etc.), from the pre-Socratics to the present day; concluding with a short statement of certain results reached in my own study of the subject (see below). (b) Publications The only one of importance has been my Essay on Philosophical Method, the writing of which occupied me more or less continuously from autumn 1932 to early summer of 1933. It was intended to serve as preface to a series of philosophical works based on the conception of method there expounded. This intention I am now carrying out as time permits. (c) Unpublished work In the summer of 1933, on finishing the above Essay, I began applying the ideas there stated to certain metaphysical problems connected with the ideas of

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Nature, Matter, Life, Evolution etc. in the hope of doing something to advance a branch of philosophical thought which has lately been brought again into prom- inence by Alexander, Whitehead and others. I spent a year exclusively on this (except for the routine of teaching) and put together about 700 pages of rough MSS. containing what I hope will prove to be the groundwork of a future treatise. One by-product of this year’s work, viz. the historical review of theories on the subject, formed my lectures in M.T. 1934; another by-product has been coopera- tion with various psychologists, biologists, physicists etc. in and out of Oxford, with regard to the philosophical aspects of their own work.

III Roman History (a) Lectures given in Oxford 1. Roman Britain, annual course each Hilary Term. For HT 1935 the lectures have been completely rewritten, incorporating the results of my recent studies in provincial economic history and the relation between Romanized provincial life and its pre-Roman substratum. 2. Two lectures on Britain contributed to a ‘circus’ on Roman provincial civilization, HT. 1935, summarizing general characteristics in the light of the new material already mentioned. (b) Publications (a select list of the most important only, but including MSS. not yet actually published). 1. Bruce’s Handbook of the Roman Wall, more or less completely rewritten and forming the most complete account of the Wall as yet published. 2. Revised edition of my small Roman Britain. 3. Roman Britain down to Nero, in Cambridge Anc. Hist. vol. X. 4. Roman Britain in the Flavian-Antonine period, ibid. XI. 5. Economic Survey of Roman Britain, a work of 60–70,000 words intended as a con- tribution to Tenney Frank’s Economic Survey of Rome (will probably have to be abridged for publication). This is divided into sections on land and population, finance, communications, agriculture, mining, industry, education, etc., and in most of these I have found that an exhaustive review of the evidence yields new and sometimes interesting conclusions. 6. Annual reports on Britain in J.R.S., with Miss M.V. Taylor. 7. Introduction to the Prehistory of Cumberland and Westmorland, in Cumb. & West. Trans. XXXIII 163–200. I mention this as one example of the ‘prehistoric’ studies which I have lately been undertaking in order to arrive at a more adequate conception of the substratum upon which the fabric of Romanized provincial life was erected. It is illustrated with several distribution-maps, and occupied me for much of the summer and early autumn of 1932.

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8. The Bewcastle Cross, ibid. XXXV (forthcoming). This is really a monograph on Northumbrian carved crosses of the Anglian period, reconsidering the highly controversial questions of their origin and dating. I mention it because I have approached the subject from a Romano-British standpoint, studying the connexions between Anglian civilization and the Roman and Celtic elements sur- viving in northern Britain. (c) Unpublished work (again I mention only the most important and tangible things). 1. I continue to amass and organize material for two large works projected many years ago: the corpus of Roman inscriptions in Britain and a book on Hadrian’s Wall. These, at the present rate of progress, will not be finished for several years. 2. I have been in touch, as usual, with most of the excavations going on in this country, either in an advisory capacity or at least making myself familiar with their aims and results, and often assisting in the preparation of their published reports. 3. I have not travelled abroad during this period, but I have continued to keep in touch with work done in other Celtic provinces, especially Gaul. 4. Above all, I have been collecting material and arranging my ideas for writing vol. I of the Oxford History of England, which will be the fullest account of Roman Britain yet written. I intend to begin writing it within the next few months, and hope to publish it during 1936.

R.G. Collingwood 18 January 1935

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