China is one of the greatest powers regarding megaconstructions. Their Bridges and skyscraper, Even abandonedthey are one of their hallmarks, and that fascination with monumental constructions is not new. Perhaps one of the most representative constructions of the country is the great wall, and although we thought that its more than 21,000 kilometers did not keep secrets, new studies They have shown that we were wrong.
And it is not only older than we believed, but is protected by a ‘bioesk’.
Rebobinando. The great wall rose to protect the northern border of the Chinese empire. For centuries, other civilizations sought to assault the empire, so the different dynasties were taking over adding sections on the wall. Until now, we thought that the works began at some point between 770 and 476 AC, but an investigation carried out between May and December 2024 by the Institute of Cultural Reliquias and Archeology of Shandong has advanced that date.
He Institute He made an excavation that covered 1,100 m² in the town of Guangli that was fruits: they unearthed a section of the Great Wall that was 300 years older than the rest. Specifically, it would belong to the late Western Zhou dynasty, between 1046 and 771 AC
Advanced Engineering. This new section, like so many others, was carried out in several phases: the early during the Zhou dynasty and the late, which would overlap with the stretch that we believed older so far. To date the discovery, the team took samples of soils, animals of animals, plant remains and discovered artifacts, carrying out the carbon-14 tests and optically stimulated luminescence test.
And there was not only a wall: the civilization of the time was already thinking about large -scale fortification with trenches or pits. The best preserved part is the most recent of those discovered due to advances in construction techniques. During the first phases, used The land apison technique for the wall, but in the last one the compacted land was already used next to metal elements that improved its structure. On the width, it surprises that, while the current one has a width of about five meters, those sections were between 10 and 30 meters.
Actually, the great wall is not a single wall, but numerous sections that each dynasty was building
Changing the past. Beyond the particular discovery, which is older than we thought, has serious historical implications. As Comment Zhang his, leader of the research, the finding “marks a significant advance in the archeology of the great wall and is a milestone to clarify the origins and development of research for its construction.”
The remains of the dynasty wall are not the same, 2,200 years ago …
This is because, under this first part of the wall, archaeologists found foundations of two residences that also dated the Zhou dynasty. They estimate that these were semi -subject houses that could have been part of a small settlement linked to the defense of the nearby river. This river was vital for trade with other nearby areas and the decision to build the wall would have responded to the desire to shield the enclave.
… that the remains of the most recent Ming wall
Apart from the wall and residences, the Zhang team found an old nearby settlement: the city of Pinying that was mentioned in some historical texts. Uniting the points, the archaeologist considers that “his close relationship with Pinying indicates that the wall served not only as a defense mechanism, but as a strategic pillar in the control of the key transport routes” between that settlement, Pinying and other localities.
Biocortex. Although discovering that the great wall is older than it was believed, it is the most interesting, it is not the only recent discovery about this megaconstruction. A study Published at the end of 2023, he revealed that several sections of the wall had a kind of shield, a ‘biocostra’ formed by tiny plants without roots and other microorganisms.
This is not so weird in rocks and soils of dry areas, but as we read in CNNresearchers do not usually look for it in man -built structures. And, unlike plants whose roots can deteriorate monuments, this scab separates the rock from the air, water and wind, reducing the porosity of the structure and protecting it against elements and erosion. As if that were not enough, it also acts as ‘glue’, improving the resistance of the wall.
Vegetation can damage the structure, but those yellowish spots are lichens that are part of biocoraza
What is clear is that, the 641 kilometers of the section of the Great Wall of the Qin, a World Heritage for UNESCO, are no longer the oldest. But the most surprising thing is that the wall was building for a longer time than we believed: more than 1,000 years. They were the Ming who, in the mid -1600 AD, arrested their expansion after the annexation of Mongolia, which left the great wall without a defensive purpose.
Images | Maximilian Dörrbecker, Mark Holmquist, Jakub Hałun, Bairuilong, Severin.stalder
