Dr. Christina Cheung

lumiere

I am an archaeologist with a strong background in bioarchaeology, specializing in using stable isotope methods to address a range of interrelated anthropological and archaeological questions. I am particularly interested in issues such as gender, social differentiation/inequalities, subsistence economies, migration, cultural changes, and human/environment relationships. Over the past 10 years, I have been involved in archaeological projects spanning wide temporal and geographical ranges, including Neolithic Iran, Neolithic France, Bronze Age China, Roman Britain, Pre-contact Fiji, and many more.

Background

B.A. (Hons) Archaeology/ History 2008, University of York, UK
M.Sc. Archaeological Science 2009, University of Oxford, UK
Ph.D. Anthropology 2016, University of British Columbia, Canada
Postdoctoral Fellow/Laboratory manager 2017-19, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Postdoctoral Fellow 2019-21, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France
Postdoctoral Fellow 2021-22, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Key Research Interests

Bioarchaeology
Bulk tissue stable isotope analysis (C, N, S)
Compound specific isotope analysis
Embedded socio-cultural and political meanings in past food practices
Stable isotope mixing models
Big data analysis in archaeology

Main Publications

Cheung, C., Fernández-Crespo, T., Mion, L., Di Giusto, M., Goude, G., Macdonald, R., et al. (2022). Micro-punches vs. Micro-slices for Serial Sampling of Human Dentine: Striking a Balance between Improved Temporal Resolution and Measuring Additional Isotope Systems. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 36(21), e9380.
Cheung, C., Herrscher E., Thomas A. 2022. Compound specific isotope evidence points to use of freshwater resources as weaning food in Middle Neolithic Paris Basin. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 179 (1): 118-133.
Cheung, C., Schwarcz, H., & Chisholm, B. (2022). Examining Prehistoric Diet at Tung Wan Tsai, Ma Wan Island, Hong Kong through Stable Isotope Analysis. Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology (Online First)
Cheung C., & Szpak, P. (2021). Interpreting Past Human Diets Using Stable Isotope Mixing Models. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 28(1), 1106-1142.
Cheung C., Zhang H., Hepburn J.C., Yang D.Y., Richards M.P. 2019. Stable Isotope and Dental Caries Data Reveal Abrupt Changes in Subsistence Economy in Ancient China in Response to Global Climate Change. PLoS ONE 14(7): e0218943
Cheung C., Burley D.V., Phaff B., Richards M.P. 2018. A Palaeomobility Study of a Multi-Period Site at Sigatoka, Fiji, Using Strontium Isotope Analysis. Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports 17: 762-774
Cheung C., Jing Z.C., Tang J.G., Richards M.P. 2017. Social Dynamics in Early Bronze Age China: A Multi-Isotope Approach. Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports 16: 90-101
Cheung C., Jing Z.C., Tang J.G., Weston D.A., Richards M.P. 2017. Diets, Social Roles, and Geographical Origins of Sacrificial Victims at the Royal Cemetery in Yinxu, Shang China: New Evidence from Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Analysis. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 48: 28-45
Cheung C., Jing Z.C., Tang J.G., Yue Z.W., Richards M.P. 2017. Examining Social and Cultural Differentiation in Late Bronze Age China using Stable Isotope Analysis and Mortuary Patterns of Human Remains at Xin’anzhuang, Yinxu. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 9(5): 799-816
Cheung C., Schroeder H., Hedges R.E.M. 2012. Diet, Social Differentiation and Cultural Change in Roman Britain: New Isotopic Evidence from Gloucestershire. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 4: 61-73

christina.t.t.cheung@gmail.com