Abstract: Due to the fact that human behavior information contained in lithic remains themselves is limited, Paleolithic archaeology should adopt cultural ecology, in which framework information of land use, foraging strategy and resource exploitation should be extracted from the combination of three level exploration: macro-level ecological niche, medium-level catchment area and microlevel living floor. The paper discusses the concepts and methodology of settlement archaeology and catchment area analysis, using Guilá Naquitz as an example to illustrate their significance in exploring human adaptation and origin of agriculture. The paper argues that Chinese Paleolithic archaeological studies should be shifted from lower level of artifact classification and description to reconstruction of human ecology and behavior, in order to catch up with academic progress in the world.

Key words: settlement pattern; subsistence pattern; living floor analysis; catchment area