When we think of massive ancient walls in Asia, the Great Wall of China usually comes to mind.
But it turns out there’s another, lesser-known system of walls that stretches across parts of China, Mongolia, and Russia—and it may have served a very different purpose.
A new study published in the journal Antiquity sheds light on a huge medieval network called the Medieval Wall System (MWS).
Built between the 10th and 12th centuries by several East Asian dynasties—especially the Jin dynasty—the system includes walls, trenches, and forts spread across more than 4,000 kilometers.
The Jin dynasty was founded by the Jurchen people from Siberia and northeast China.
Researchers from Israel, Mongolia, and the United States studied a 405-kilometer stretch of the MWS in Mongolia, called the Mongolian Arc.
They also excavated a garrison, or military post, along this route to better understand what the walls were for.
The big question: were these structures built mainly for military defense, or were they meant for something else?
What the team discovered was surprising. While the garrison had thick stone walls and looked like a serious defensive post, the “wall” that ran through the Mongolian Arc was not much of a wall at all. Instead, it was a shallow ditch with a pile of earth beside it—something that wouldn’t stop a large army. But it might have been enough to guide people toward specific entry points or gates.
That suggests the structure wasn’t just about stopping enemies. It was likely a way for the Jin dynasty to control who entered and exited their empire, monitor trade, prevent small-scale raids, and project their authority across the vast open steppe.
Forts placed along the ditch line would have helped soldiers keep track of movement in the area.
Artifacts found during the excavation—including coins from the Song dynasty, iron tools, and a stone platform that served as both a stove and a bed—show that this garrison wasn’t just temporary. It was well-built and likely occupied year-round, with enough infrastructure to support daily life in a remote and difficult environment.
This challenges the idea that ancient walls were only for keeping out enemies. In this case, the wall system was also about managing life on the empire’s edge—regulating travel, trade, and even civilian activity.
Professor Gideon Shelach-Lavi, the study’s lead author, says future research will focus on learning more about the people who lived at this garrison—what they ate, how they survived, and how they interacted with the powerful system that surrounded them.
Source: KSR.
