However, recently not many researchers consider moat settlements as defensive and directly related with wars, for several reasons such as; the emergence of moat settlement goes back to earlier Yayoi period when there was very little evidence of battles (Etsuji site and Nakai sites in Fukuoka Prefecture), less moat settlements are excavated from northern Kyushu in the latter half of early period to first half of middle period, especially beginning of middle period when frequent wars were thought to have occurred from the evidence of human bones with trauma, and banks were created outside the moat in some cases using soil dug up to make the moat, which gives an advantage to the enemy (Enemy can use the bank as a shield against arrows and also can attack from the top of a bank.)
しかし、環濠集落の出現は、未だ戦闘の証拠がほとんどない弥生時代早期にさかのぼること（福岡県江辻遺跡、同那珂遺跡群など）、受傷人骨などの事例から戦乱が頻発したと考えられる前期後半～中期前半、特に中期初頭以降の北部九州ではむしろ環濠集落の事例は少ないこと、しばしば環濠を掘削する際に排出された土を利用して環濠の外側に盛り土をした痕跡のある事例が報告されているが、環濠の外側に盛り土をすることによって、外敵を有利にしてしまう（外敵は、盛り土を矢避けにしたり、盛り土の上から攻撃できる）ことなどから、環濠集落と戦乱とを直接的に関連づける、すなわち環濠集落を防衛集落と考える研究者は最近では少なくなってきている。