Staff profile

Personal Statement

I am a human bioarchaeologist, and a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, UK. My research focuses on biocultural and contextual approaches to past human health, disease, and well-being, and inherently the interaction of people with their lived environments. Specifically, I consider patterns of disease related to agriculture, urbanism, and the development of social complexity in China to explore human adaptations to sociocultural systems. Multiple lines of evidence are used to contribute to the history of health and disease in China, including bioarchaeology, medical anthropology, evolutionary medicine, and medical history.

Currently, I am writing my PhD thesis according to three paleopathological themes based on 249 skeletons excavated from Shaanxi, China and dated from 2800 BC to 220 AD. The first theme considers the impact of sedentism and urbanism on the presence of infectious diseases, including non-specific inflammatory bone changes, tuberculosis, and leprosy. The second theme looks at frequencies of dietary-related diseases under an agricultural economy; this includes recording data on enamel hypoplasia, dental caries, and vitamin deficiencies. The third theme evaluates the long-term health consequences of sociocultural systems and the history of public health in China. My PhD research will reveal new paleopathological data from a region where few studies have been carried out, as well as contribute to the knowledge of the impact of sociocultural systems on past human health and wellbeing.

Education

• 2017-2020 PhD Paleopathology, Durham University, UK
• 2012-2015 MA Physical Anthropology, Jilin University, China
• 2008-2012 BA Archaeology, Northwest University, China

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• 2019 Li, M., Roberts, C.A., Chen, L., Zhao, D. (2019). A male skeleton from the Han Dynasty in Shaanxi, China (202 BC-220 AD) with bone changes that possibly represent spinal tuberculosis. International Journal of Paleopathology 27: 9-16.

• 2017 Zhang, Q., Li, M., Zhang, Q., Sun, Z. (2017). Dental Microwear Analysis and Dietary Reconstruction at Haminmangha, a Neolithic Site in Inner Mongolia, China. Research of China’s Frontier Archaeology 02: 357-366.

• 2015 Zhang, Q., Wang, W., Li, M. (2015). Ancient human skulls from the Shuangta Site of the East Zhou Period in Baicheng, Jilin. Acta Anthropologica Sinica 01: 75-86.
  

• 2013 Zhang, Q., Li, M., Zhu, H. (2013). Ancient human skulls unearthed at the Zhaizita Site in Zhunge’er County, Inner Mongolia. Research of China’s Frontier Archaeology 02: 315-322.

Magazines and Newspapers

• 2015 Li, M., Zhang, Q., Sun, Z. (2015). Visiting the Centro Nacional de Investigation sobre la Evolucion Humana (CENIEH) in Spain. Popular Archaeology 06: 85-88.

• 2014 Li, M., Sun, Z., Wang, L., Hu, X. (2014), The Research of Human Skeletons from the Dacaozi Graveyard in Ping’an County, Qinghai. Weekly of Chinese Relics 07-04007.

• 2014 Li, M., Sun, Z., Zhang, Q. (2014), The Journey of Archaeology in Canada. Popular Archaeology 05: 75-79.

Conference Participation

• 2019 The 46^th Annual Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, US: Poster presentation: New evidence of spinal tuberculosis from China, 25-220 AD.
• 2018 Global History of Health Project: Asia Organization Conference, China: Invited attendee.
• 2018 The 45^th Annual Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, US: Poster presentation: The health impact of civilization on society: disease patterns of citizens during the Late Zhou Dynasty in China (877 BC - 771 BC).
• 2015 The 84^th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, US: Poster presentation: Dental microwear analysis and dietary reconstruction at Haminmangha, a Neolithic site in Inner Mongolia, China.
• 2014 The 83^rd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Canada: Poster presentation: A bioarchaeological study of human remains from Jinggouzi, a Bronze Age cemetery in North China.
• 2014 Graduate Symposium on Bioarchaeology by Simon Fraser University and Jilin University, Canada: Podium presentation: Dental microwear analysis and diet reconstruction of the Dacaozi population in Qinghai, China.
• 2014 XVII Congress of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, Spain: Poster presentation: Integrating dental microwear and stable isotopic analyses to reconstruct diet at Zhoujiazhuang, a Neolithic site in China.
• 2014 The 6^th International Symposium on Biomolecular Archaeology, Switzerland: Poster presentation: A bioarchaeological study of paleodiet of Jinggouzi, a perspective from stable isotope and dental microwear analyses.
• 2014 Meeting of Prehistory Chinese Living Style, China: Podium presentation: Integrating dental microwear and stable isotopic analyses to reconstruct diet at Haminmangha, a Neolithic site in Inner Mongolia, China.

Invited Guest Lectures

• 2018 Northwest University, China. The biocultural and contextual approaches to paleopathological research.
• 2018 Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, China. The excavation, collection, and analysis of the human remains from archaeological sites.
• 2017 Jilin University, China. PhD in paleopathology: overseas application and study.
• 2017 Northwest University, China. Paleopathology: the current theories, methods, and practices.

• Bioarchaeology

Journal Article

• You, Sen, Li, Mocen, Hou, Xiaogang, Li, Pengzhen, Sun, Yang, Zhang, Quanchao & Wang, Qian (2022). First case of juvenile primary bone malignant neoplasm in ancient China: A skeleton from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 CE). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 32(1): 182-191.