Research on the structure of this wall was first published in the academic journal Antiquity on June 8.
Located in the center of the vast plains of Mongolia's steppe, the 737 km long training camp that was previously believed by archaeologists to have been built to protect local people from the city of Cat Tu Han - a Mongolian province and founder of the Mongolian empire after unifying the tribes in northeastern Asia in 1206.
However, Professor Gideon Shelach-Lavi, Israel Israel Israel University Jerusalem, explained to the Jerusalem Post that the construction of the wall dates back to before the 13th century and some other factors suggest that the structure of the city may not have been a military fortress.
"China's Great Wall actually consists of many walls," Shelach-Lavi said. The wall that we consider in this very specific case is for many reasons. It is located further north, deep into a residential area and is not connected in any way with other parts of the Imperial Academy. Moreover, it is only briefly mentioned in historical records and no dynasty has assigned construction. The question we ask is who built it and why," said the professor.
Shelach-Lavi has worked in archaeological excavations in China since the 1990s. Since 2018, he and other experts from the University of Israel, as well as some Mongolian and American colleagues, have focused on this project, combining satellite imaging analysis and non-photo with ground work.
The research team was able to determine that the structure could have been built by the Liu Dynasty, also known as the Qian Dan - a feudal dynasty founded by the Qian Dan in Chinese history, ruled the area from the mid-10th to the 12th centuries, hence earlier than the Imperial Citadel of Qianxi.
scholars have previously thought that the wall was built to prevent the invasion of outside troops. "The wall is probably about two meters high. Furthermore, we have discovered dozens of connected structures at lower altitudes. Therefore, this system does not seem suitable for defensive purposes. Instead, it is probably used to control people and livestock, preventing them from wandering to other areas," the professor pointed out.
Along the wall about 1m above ground - where some of the best preserved parts are today - researchers also discovered metal artifacts and pottery, but in very scarce quantity.
"For this reason, we believe that the construction of the above-mentioned citadel section could only take about 2-5 years, with about 200,000 workers" - the professor said.
Although researchers will not be able to return to the area for a new mining season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently received a grant to ensure research for at least 5 years.
