3 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New evidence pushes the origins of the Great Wall back by 300 years

Recently discovered evidence from the Changqing district of Jinan, located in East China’s Shandong Province, reveals that the origins of the Great Wall can be traced back 300 years earlier than previously thought.

The excavations in the Changqing district of Jinan, located in East China’s Shandong Province, have uncovered that the earliest known sections of the Great Wall date back to the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC) and the early Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC). This discovery pushes the timeline for the construction of the Great Wall back by approximately 300 years, as reported by Jinan Daily.

The excavation, conducted from May to December 2024, spanned an area of 1,100 square meters in Guangli village. This marks the first proactive excavation of the Great Wall of Qi State, following earlier surveys and investigations.

Archaeologists utilized a multidisciplinary approach, collecting not only traditional artifacts but also specimens such as plant silica and animal bones. They gathered samples for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and carbon-14 dating, resulting in a wealth of archaeological findings.

The Great Wall of Qi is a significant component of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Wall. As the earliest and longest of China’s Great Walls, it extends a total of 641 kilometers.

Zhang Su, the project leader from the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, explained that the excavation revealed substantial evidence of multiple construction phases. The team unearthed large rammed-earth structures, roads, slopes, residential foundations, trenches, ash pits, and walls from various stages of the wall’s development.

Aerial View Photography Of Great Wall Of China. Credit: Tom Fisk, Pexels
Aerial View Photography Of Great Wall Of China. Credit: Tom Fisk, Pexels

According to Zhang, the walls can be categorized into two main phases: early and late. The earlier walls, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period, are approximately 10 meters wide and may have been constructed as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC). The later sections primarily belong to the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC).

The third phase of the walls is the best preserved, showcasing the most advanced construction techniques and measuring over 30 meters in width. This section was likely built during the peak of the Qi State in the Warring States Period.

“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,” Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, stated to the Global Times on Sunday. “It marks a significant breakthrough in Great Wall archaeology and is a milestone in clarifying the origins and development of research on China’s Great Wall.”

In addition to the walls, two residences from the Zhou Dynasty were discovered beneath the early walls in the northern excavation area. These homes, characterized by square foundations with rounded corners, are typical of the semi-subterranean dwellings of that era. This suggests that prior to the wall’s construction, the area may have been part of a small settlement, potentially linked to river defense, Zhang noted.

The archaeological team, led by Zhang, also uncovered an ancient settlement known as Pingyin City, which is mentioned in historical texts. This site is located about 1.5 kilometers north of the Great Wall.

“The layout, location, and associated infrastructure of the Great Wall of Qi reflect the advanced military planning and strategic responses of the Qi State to external threats. Its close connection to Pingyin indicates that the wall served not only as a defensive structure but also played a strategic role in controlling key transportation routes,” Zhang remarked.

This discovery not only reshapes our understanding of the Great Wall’s history but also highlights the advanced military strategies of the Qi State, emphasizing the wall’s dual role as both a defensive structure and a crucial element in controlling trade and transportation routes in ancient China.

Cover Image Credit: Jinan Daily

Related Articles

1,400-Year-Old Bronze Cauldron Discovered in Pergamon’s ‘Mosaic House’

27 July 2025

27 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made in the ancient city of Pergamon (modern-day Bergama) in Turkey’s İzmir Province. Excavations...

Hidden 13th-century carving of ‘face of Christ’ discovered in Ballymore, Ireland

12 May 2022

12 May 2022

At Ballymore, in the county of Westmeath, Ireland, sunlight led to an interesting and special discovery. The sunlight revealed that...

Ancient Greeks Built a Road to Haul Cargo Overland: The Father of the Railway: Diolkos

6 May 2024

6 May 2024

The Diolkos, an ambitious road that crossed the entire Isthmus of Corinth and was partially paved with stone, was built...

Skeleton Of “Spanish Monk” in Palace of Cortés Turns Out To Be An Aztec Woman

26 January 2024

26 January 2024

Recent research at the Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has revealed a grave historical error. For 50 years, it...

Love and hate in ancient times: Exploring Magical Texts

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

Love and hate are universal emotions that have persisted throughout human history. Ancient civilizations developed their own distinct methods of...

A unique tomb decorated with amber was discovered near Petrozavodsk

26 August 2021

26 August 2021

According to a press release from the Petrozavodsk State University a unique tomb was discovered on the western shore of...

Southwest Germany’s Oldest Gold Artifact Found

28 May 2021

28 May 2021

Archaeologists discovered the 3,800-year-old burial of a woman who died when she was around 20 years old in what is...

1700 years ago the Korean peninsula had more genetic diversity than in our time, “Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses”

22 June 2022

22 June 2022

An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration...

1900 years old a rare mosaic was discovered in Durrës, Albania

6 November 2023

6 November 2023 1

In the port city of Durrës, on the Adriatic Sea in western Albania, a unique mosaic dating back 1900 years...

A 2,000-year-old Roman grave belonging to soldier Flaccus unearthed in Netherlands

9 December 2024

9 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old grave from the Roman settlement in Heerlen, Netherlands. The latest analysis has shown that it...

The First Native Americans were Among the First Metal Miners in the World

20 March 2021

20 March 2021

An arrowhead made of pure copper 8,500 years ago dates the history of the copper age to an earlier period,...

Archaeologists Uncover 1,100-Year-Old Viking Boat Grave of Woman and Her Dog on Senja Island, Norway

6 June 2025

6 June 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery on Norway’s remote Senja Island, experts have unearthed a remarkably well-preserved 1,100-year-old Viking boat grave...

A 2,000-year-old monumental Roman villa Found Under a Seaside May Be Pliny the Elder’s house

23 January 2024

23 January 2024

Researchers have discovered the remnants of a massive Roman villa thought to have ties to Pliny the Elder while working...

1st Century BCE Medusa Mask Mold Discovered in Ancient Finziade, Sicily

24 January 2025

24 January 2025

At the Finziade archaeological site in the Sicilian town of Licata, archaeologists have discovered a mask mold that could represent...

The ruins found in Nara could be the Imperial House of Female Emperor Koken

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest building remains ever found at the former site of the Heijokyu palace in the...