(NLDO) - The mysterious wall section in Shandong province - China is 300 years older than the estimated age of the Great Wall.
According to Global Times , archaeologists have excavated the remains of ancient wall sections in Changqing District, Jinan City, Shandong Province - China, believed to be the missing part of the Great Wall.
Notably, preliminary analysis shows that the oldest sections of this wall date back to the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC) and early Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC), making it nearly 2,800 years old, according to Jinan Daily.
If true, it would predate the Great Wall by more than 2,500 years, as scientists previously estimated.
Excavation site of ancient wall sections in Jinan City, believed to be the oldest part of the Great Wall - Photo: JINAN DAILY
The excavation took place from May to December 2024, covering an area of 1,100 square meters in Guangli village of the above locality, to search for traces of hidden sections of the Great Wall of Qi.
The Great Wall of Qi is considered the oldest section of the entire Great Wall structure recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The excavation also revealed many other structures related to this ancient fortification, according to archaeologist Zhang Su from the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, who led the project.
These are large rammed earth structures, roads, slopes, house platforms, trenches and ash pits.
The discovered sections of the wall may have been built in two main phases. The oldest sections date back to the Spring and Autumn Period, are about 10 metres wide and may have been built during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC).
The later sections of the wall belong mainly to the Warring States period (475 BC-221 BC).
In addition, there are a few sections of the wall built in a slightly more recent period, with the most advanced construction techniques and the largest size, more than 30 m wide. This section was probably built during the peak of the Qi state during the Warring States period.
"This archaeological discovery pushes the construction date of the Great Wall back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, establishing it as the oldest known section of the Great Wall in China," Liu Zheng, a member of the China Cultural Relics Association, told the Global Times.
In addition to the walls, two houses dating back to the Zhou Dynasty located below the first walls in the northern excavation area were also discovered.
These houses have square foundations with rounded corners, which was typical of semi-subterranean houses of the period.
This suggests that before the construction of the wall, the area may have been part of a small settlement.
However, there are controversial opinions that this section of the wall is not actually part of the Great Wall, or even part of the Great Wall of Qi, according to Live Science.
Some believe that the Great Wall was actually built by Qin Shi Huang, around 221-210 BC.
When unifying China, this emperor took advantage of some ancient citadels of the Spring and Autumn - Warring States period countries to create this great work.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-phan-mat-tich-co-xua-nhat-cua-van-ly-truong-thanh-196250304093538991.htm
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