第四纪科学与环境考古学

由于第四纪包含了人类生活与生产的全部历史，第四纪研究成为环境考古研究的主要内容。第四纪科学作为环境考古的一种研究手段，对于考古学家而言，其目的是获取更多的考古资料和更多的考古学信息，对解释人类社会发展的一般法则提供更多的帮助；对于第四纪科学家而言，古人地关系的研究只能通过环境考古学来实现。在环境考古研究中，第四纪科学主要承担3个方面的研究内容：①重建古人类活动区域自然环境演变的历史；②探索遗址形成和废弃的自然原因；③包括农业考古、人类起源与现代人起源等的专题研究。在研究方法上，可基于不同空间尺度进行，不同尺度有不同的研究方法。对于小尺度环境考古，采用主题研究；中尺度、大尺度和超大尺度研究，采用对比研究。所有的高级尺度研究一定是建立在低级尺度研究基础之上，就像一座金字塔。低级尺度研究是基础，是高级尺度研究资料和证据的积累；同时不同研究尺度可大可小，它的界定根据研究主题而决定。第四纪科学在环境考古发展中具有广阔的前景，但环境考古学的进一步发展还需要考古学家与地学家的精诚合作，需要双方多进行学科之间的交流。我国环境考古学的发展还处在资料积累阶段，应该循序渐进发展环境考古学。

APPLICATIONS OF QUATERNARY SCIENCES TO ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

Since the Quaternary Period covers the overall human cultural history, the applications of Quaternary sciences to environmental archaeology become the main study aspect. Quaternary sciences mainly affords three aspects in Environmental Archaeology. (1) Reconstructing the local landscapes and environments change during the past around the site; (2) Exploring the depositional and post-depositional processes that form and shape site, in other words, looking for the reason why the site was selected and abandoned where it situated; (3) Studying of special archaeological fields, such as the agricultural archaeology, the origin of human, and so on. As to the applications of Quaternary sciences to environmental archaeology, this paper touts the approach of the study on the scales. Scales are divided into four grades and each grade is studied by different method. As to the small scale, subject study is proposed, and the medium scale, the large scale, and the huge scale are carried out through the method of comparative study. The study on the higher-grade scale is based on the study on the lower-grade one. The study on the lower-grade scale is the base of the higher-grade scale, providing the accumulative study materials and evidences for the study on the high-grade scale. The areas of study are either small or large. It is determined by the research subject. But in any case which subject is studied, it must begin with a site. The applications of Quaternary Sciences to the environmental archaeology are a promising field at present in China. But the further development of the environmental archaeology requires the better cooperation between geoscientists and archaeologists and the better communication between geosciences and archaeology. The development of the Environmental Archaeology is in the state of accumulating materials in China now. We should develop this interdiscipline step by step and make steady progress.