环境考古学具有以地理学、第四纪环境学为代表的自然科学和以考古学为代表的人文科学两大学科基础。分别由地学与考古学主导的环境考古研究由于学科背景的不同常常处于脱节状态。史前聚落具备的“自然”、“人文”双重属性使其成为联接环境考古两大研究体系的桥梁,并成为地学与考古学主导的环境考古研究相同的发展方向与研究趋势。但是,以社会人类学为基础的聚落考古学关注人类社会的发展状态,其以复原史前社会形态为最终目标。与此不同,以地理学为基础的史前聚落地理研究重视自然环境与人类社会的交互作用,并以史前人地关系及其演化为最终目标。尽管如此,交叉学科特征明显的史前聚落地理研究需要包括地学、考古学等诸多相关学科的积极参与,共同开展综合研究,才能取得长足的进步与深入的发展。
Enviromnental archaeology has two discipline foundations, the natural sciences such as geography and quaternary sciences and humanities such as archaeology. For the different discipline background, environmental archaeology research which was dominated by earth science and archaeology respectively was often in the disconnected state. Prehistoric settlements became the bridge linking the two research of environmental archaeology for its naturehuman dual attributes. And it gradually became the same development direction and research trends of environmental archaeology which was dominated by earth science and archaeology respectively. However, the settlement archaeology which based on social anthropology was interested in the development state of human society, its ultimate aim was prehistoric social formation reversion. But the prehistoric settlement geography which based on geography paid attention to the interaction between natural environment and human society, its ultimate aim was prehistoric human-land relationship and its evolution. Nonetheless, prehistoric settlement archaeology with the clear inter discipline character- istic needs the active of many related disciplines like earth science and archaeology. Only if it carries out the comprehensive research, prehistoric settlement geography will be able to achieve great progress and further development.