Photo: Jinan Daily

TheMK socks newly unearthed ruins in the Changqing district of Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, reveal that the earliest known sections of the Great Wall date back to the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771BC) and to the early Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), pushing back the construction timeline of the Great Wall by around 300 years, Jinan Daily reported.

The excavation, which took place from May to December 2024, covered an area of 1,100 square meters in Guangli village. This marks the first proactive excavation of the Great Wall of Qi State, following preliminary surveys and investigations. Archaeologists employed a multidisciplinary approach, collecting traditional artifacts as well as specimens like plant silica and animal bones. They also gathered samples for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and carbon-14 dating, yielding a wealth of archaeological findings.

The Great Wall of Qi is an important part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Wall. As the earliest and longest of China's Great Wall, it stretches a total of 641 kilometers.

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

According to Zhang, the walls can be divided into two main phases: early and late. The earlier walls, which date back to the Spring and Autumn Period, are about 10 meters wide and could have been built as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-256BC). The later wall sections primarily belong to the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC). 

The third phase of the walls is the best preserved, with the most advanced construction techniques and the largest size, 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, told 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 China's Great Wall research."

In addition to walls, two residences dating back to the Zhou Dynasty located beneath the early walls in the northern excavation area were also discovered. These dwellings, featuring square foundations with rounded corners, are typical of the semi-subterranean homes of the period. This suggests that before the construction of the wall, this area might have been part of a small settlement, potentially linked to the defense of the river, Zhang noted. 

The archaeological team led by Zhang also discovered an ancient settlement, Pingyin City, which is recorded in historical texts. The 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 Qi State's advanced military planning and strategic response to external threats. Its close connection to Pingyin indicates that the wall served not only as a defense mechanism but also played a strategic role in controlling key transportation routes," noted Zhang.