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Many causes have been proposed for the transition to agriculture but how can archaeologists debate rival interpretations of the record with a seat-of-your-pants theoretical methodology? Truth is a concept that has been the subject of considerable thought and analysis by philosophers for millennia and is a conceptual resource that archaeologists can draw on. The aim of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, the aim is to study the epistemological criteria used in the formulation and assessment of archaeological knowledge: bringing new understanding of knowledge formation in archaeology and how to deal with competing interpretations of the past (specifically with political and ethical ramifications). The second aim is to assess these epistemological criteria and position them in light of the literature on philosophical theories of truth. The focus of this thesis is on the justification project which attempts to identify a characteristic which is possessed by most true propositions and not possessed by most false propositions. In other words, what it is that makes certain statements about the past 'true' or 'not true'. The aim is to understand how archaeological claims about the past come to be made and against what grounds these claims are justified. Three angles are used to answer the aims of this thesis. Firstly, looking at archaeological interpretation in the field, the case study of Çatalhöyük in Turkey is used to track interpretation from excavation through to publication. Secondly, looking at justification in larger syntheses of the past, different explanations for the emergence of agriculture in Britain are explored to understand how justification works at this level of archaeological interpretation, especially when dealing with multiple explanations. Finally, the ethical and political consequences of archaeological justification are discussed. Given the acceptance that there are different interpretations of the past beyond solely the archaeologists, how does justification work in archaeology when we include other interpretations of the past and when concerns shift away from reaching the most justified account of the past, to the practical ramifications of that knowledge? This thesis original and novel contribution is in answering these aims. In the next chapters it will be argued that archaeological justification works within a specific model of justification based on correspondence and coherence. Justification shifts as interpretation moves away from the archaeological record; there is a heavier reliance on abductive reasoning. Multiple interpretations are a product of abductive reasoning and due to the adoption of different theoretical stances. Archaeology fits within a pragmatist theory of truth showing that ethical and political issues are part of the process of justification.

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate the importance of the enclosure movement for the agricultural development in the area of Mälardalen, Sweden. This is done through a case study of Torstuna härad between the years 1750-1914 by sampling five points in time. By studying the long term development of land reclamation and its correlation with meadow acreage, crop rotation and animal stock the thesis argues that the the radical enclosures in the 1850’s was a course of action to regain opportunities for agricultural expansion. The most intense period of land reclamation was after the implementation of radical enclosure which brought with it a change from communal land use to private ownership. Private property rights meant a new set of advantages for the individual farmer to plan and invest and balance the arable and the meadow.

Cette étude est à replacer dans le débat sur le retard de l’agriculture française à la veille de la première guerre mondiale, et dans la façon d’aborder cette analyse, entre la macro et la micro-histoire. L’économie du blé au XIXe siècle est une des portes d’entrée de l’analyse. Le blé, culture alimentaire de première nécessité, couvrait la plus grande partie des terres labourables, alimentait des très nombreux moulins, donnait naissance à un trafic de grande envergure tant national qu’international, et se retrouvait, sous forme de pain, dans l’alimentation de tous les foyers. L’impact de cette céréale était si important, que la priorité de tous les gouvernements, était de nourrir en priorité le peuple de cette denrée pour assurer la paix sociale. Ainsi donc, d’un aspect agricole, on passait d’emblée à un aspect politique et social de l’étude. La façon dont le blé était collecté, emmagasiné, distribué, déterminait un marché, plus ou moins ouvert selon que les récoltes s’avéraient suffisantes, ou insuffisantes. L’étude ouvrait donc sur la politique commerciale de la France. Les revenus des producteurs de blé étaient fonction de leur place dans le marché, leurs gains dépendaient de l’élasticité du marché, de la loi de l’offre et de la demande, et des exigences des donneurs d’ordre. L’aspect économique de la question prenait tout son sens. Enfin, la quantité de blé récolté et livré était fonction de la taille de l’exploitation, de l’agencement des terres, de leur qualité et de l’habilité du paysan à optimiser les rendements. L’aspect purement agraire et technique de la production s’avéraient être un préalable à la réflexion. Autant de sujets de réflexion encore d’actualité. / This study is part of the debate about The French agriculture backwardness before the First World War, and in the way to situate this analysis between macro and micro history. Wheat economy in the XIXth century is one of the introductions to this analysis. Wheat, being the essential food producing farming, was grown on most of the cultivated lands. It supplied a lot of granaries, gave birth to a tremendous national and international trade and was essentially dedicated to the making of bread for families. The impact of that cereal was so important that the governments’ priority was to feed the population to maintain social peace. Consequently the agricultural subject of our analysis implied to consider the political and social aspect of it. The way wheat was collected, stored, distributed and finally delivered, implied a market, more or less opened, depending on plentiful or insufficient harvests. The study opened on the French external commercial policy. The incomes of wheat producers depended on their situation on the market, their incomes depended on the fluctuations of the market, offer and supply and the demands of the principals. The economical aspect was quite meaningful. Finally, the quantity of wheat sales depended on the sizes of farms, their situation, their quality and the ability of peasants to increase the yields. The mere agricultural and technical aspect of production could not be avoided and turned out to be prior to our reflection. That sort of questioning is quite valid in the present day world.