Parts of the Great Wall of China — almost certainly the first historical wall that most people would associate with China — have stood for more than 2,200 years. Now, a group of archaeologists working in Shandong have uncovered segments of a wall that’s several centuries older. What exactly this means for the historically-minded, however, is still up for debate.
LiveScience’s Owen Jarus wrote about the discovery and the differing expert opinions on why this find is so significant. When it was first built, Jarus reports, this wall was around 33 feet wide. A few hundred years later, it grew significantly, eventually reaching a much thicker 100 feet in width. This took part around the Warring States period of Chinese history, and the reason why you might want thicker walls can be easily answered by the name of the period in question.
Where it comes to the significance of this wall, that’s where things get a bit contentious. Experts who LiveScience spoke with stated that this new discovery was significant in and of itself, as opposed to because of its connection to any other historical walls. Initial reporting from Global Times argued that the recent discovery was part of the Great Wall of Qi — something LiveScience’s experts dispute.
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Eleanor Barraclough on the making of “Embers of the Hands”It’s worth noting here that the Great Wall of China also incorporated parts of older walls into its structure; its builders opted not to start from scratch. That includes the Great Wall of Qi, as well as other historically significant structures throughout the country. As more details emerge on this new old wall, hopefully a greater picture of its meaning will come into focus.
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