The Great Wall of China Might Be Older Than We Thought
New research suggests that some sections of the wall were constructed during the Western Zhou dynasty between 1046 and 771 B.C.E.
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China’s Great Wall wasn’t built all at once—it was constructed and connected over many centuries. Now, new research suggests the earliest known section of the landmark may be roughly 300 years older than previously thought.
Archaeologists in eastern China’s Shandong Province recently completed an excavation of the Great Wall’s oldest section, which is known as the Qi wall.
Between May and December 2024, they dug up an 11,800-square-foot area in the village of Guangli, reports Li Hang for the Global Times, a state-run publication in China. The project was spearheaded by a team from the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Their work revealed new sections of the Qi wall, as well as trenches, residential foundations, roads, rammed-earth structures, ash pits and other remnants of the past.
They then used multiple testing methods to estimate the age of the newly unearthed sections, including carbon dating and soil sampling. They also used a technique known as optically stimulated luminescence, which can reveal the last time certain materials were exposed to light or heat.
Together, these methods suggest the oldest parts of the wall were built during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046-771 B.C.E.) Other sections were built during the early Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.E.), as well as during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.E.). Some of the sections are up to 32 feet wide, per the Global Times.
“This archaeological discovery pushes the construction date of the Great Wall back to the Western Zhou period, establishing it as the earliest known Great Wall in China,” says Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, to the Global Times. “It marks a significant breakthrough in Great Wall archaeology and is a milestone in clarifying the origins and development of China’s Great Wall research.”
Archaeologists also found two Zhou dynasty dwellings beneath a section of the wall, which suggests the area was home to a small settlement before the wall was built. The semi-subterranean residences had square foundations with rounded corners.
Roughly a mile north of the wall, the team also found evidence of a historic settlement known as Pingyin City.
These findings suggest the Qi wall not only served as a defense system, but may also have helped protect key transportation routes, per the Global Times.
The Great Wall spans more than 12,000 miles across northern China. Construction of the massive defensive structure—which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987—lasted through the 17th century C.E.
Tourists mainly visit a section known as the Ming Great Wall, which spans 5,500 miles. It was built during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 C.E.).
The Great Wall faces many threats, including natural erosion and human-caused damage. In September 2023, a pair of construction workers who were reportedly looking for a shortcut used an excavator to widen an existing gap in the wall, causing “irreversible damage.”
“The Great Wall is a miracle, a cultural achievement not just for China but for humanity,” Dong Yaohui, a Great Wall expert, told Smithsonian magazine’s Brook Larmer in 2008. “If we let it get damaged beyond repair in just one or two generations, it will be our lasting shame.”
