2010

Minghui Wang

  • Associate Research Fellow
  • Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Picture of Minghui Wang

Project

Subsistence Changes, Social Developments, and Health Status of Neolithic People from China’s Central Plains

Program

Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Grants to Individuals in East and Southeast Asian Archaeology and Early History Study and Research Fellowships (East and Southeast Asia)

Department

The Center for Scientific Archaeology

Location

Canada

Abstract

The indicators of health status within archaeological human remains can reflect how successfully past human populations adapted to changes in their natural environments, as well changes in their social and cultural milieu. Skeletal remains can indicate the overall health of an individual, as well as more specific markers of nutritional stress and infectious disease indicators. The study of ancient diseases within ancient skeletal remains is referred to as paleopathology. This project involves comparative osteological studies of Neolithic human remains from multiple archaeological sites in Central China to elucidate the complex relationships between subsistence changes, social stratifications, and health conditions of Neolithic populations.