The decision theoretical components of two, structurally very different models on the origins of agriculture - Flannery's systemic, decision theoretical model and Cohen's monocausal, demographic model - are analyzed. Beyond that, it is examined to what extent their theoretical assumptions meet the existing archaeological data. It can be demonstrated that Flannery's approach allows a much more differentiated modelling of the process of integration and development of agriculture as it is discernible from the archaeological data than Cohen's approach.
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