diff --git a/mammoth/docx/numbering_xml.py b/mammoth/docx/numbering_xml.py
index 0bd1952..8f21f76 100644
--- a/mammoth/docx/numbering_xml.py
+++ b/mammoth/docx/numbering_xml.py
@@ -101,6 +101,17 @@ def __init__(self, abstract_nums, nums, styles):
         self._styles = styles
 
     def find_level(self, num_id, level):
+        return self._find_level(num_id, level, visited=set())
+
+    def _find_level(self, num_id, level, visited):
+        # A w:numStyleLink can point (directly or transitively) back to a
+        # numbering definition that has already been visited, forming a cycle.
+        # Track the num IDs seen while resolving this chain so a malformed
+        # document cannot cause unbounded recursion.
+        if num_id in visited:
+            return None
+        visited.add(num_id)
+
         num = self._nums.get(num_id)
         if num is None:
             return None
@@ -112,7 +123,7 @@ def find_level(self, num_id, level):
                 return self._to_numbering_level(abstract_num.levels.get(level))
             else:
                 style = self._styles.find_numbering_style_by_id(abstract_num.num_style_link)
-                return self.find_level(style.num_id, level)
+                return self._find_level(style.num_id, level, visited)
 
     def find_level_by_paragraph_style_id(self, style_id):
         return self._levels_by_paragraph_style_id.get(style_id)
diff --git a/tests/docx/numbering_xml_tests.py b/tests/docx/numbering_xml_tests.py
index 6cc779f..8fb98e4 100644
--- a/tests/docx/numbering_xml_tests.py
+++ b/tests/docx/numbering_xml_tests.py
@@ -176,6 +176,26 @@ def test_numbering_level_can_be_found_by_paragraph_style_id():
     assert_equal(None, numbering.find_level_by_paragraph_style_id("Paragraph"))
 
 
+
+def test_find_level_returns_none_when_num_style_link_forms_a_cycle():
+    # num 201 -> abstractNum 101 -> numStyleLink "List1" -> num 201 -> ...
+    # Without cycle detection this recurses until the interpreter stack is
+    # exhausted; find_level should instead return None.
+    numbering = _read_numbering_xml_element(
+        xml_element("w:numbering", {}, [
+            xml_element("w:abstractNum", {"w:abstractNumId": "101"}, [
+                xml_element("w:numStyleLink", {"w:val": "List1"}),
+            ]),
+            xml_element("w:num", {"w:numId": "201"}, [
+                xml_element("w:abstractNumId", {"w:val": "101"}),
+            ]),
+        ]),
+        styles=Styles.create(numbering_styles={
+            "List1": NumberingStyle(style_id="List1", num_id="201"),
+        }),
+    )
+    assert_equal(None, numbering.find_level("201", "0"))
+
 def _read_numbering_xml_element(element, styles=None):
     if styles is None:
         styles = Styles.EMPTY