ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the interactions between theory and observation and the possibility of Procrustean categories. Jack Golson has divided the ditch systems at Kuk into six phases of drainage spanning the past 9000 years. Hidden analogies permeate all archaeological interpretations, of course, enabling one feature to be called a drainage ditch and another feature an agricultural field because of their resemblance to ditches and fields in the present-day landscape. The first category of explanatory models emphasises the economic rationality of cultivators faced with soils and sites of varying potential. In a market economy land use decisions are not just based on production functions, they are also strongly influenced by prices. Symbolic capital transformed into visible forms, for example terraces and ditches, can also help to legitimate land rights. A successful drainage project is itself a lasting reminder of the efforts and skills of those responsible, as well as a means towards long-term benefits in surplus production or subsistence security.
