Overview

• The Medieval Wall System spans approximately 4,000 kilometers across China, Mongolia and Russia and was constructed in the 10th to 12th centuries by dynasties led by the Jurchen-founded Jin
• Archaeologists excavating a garrison on the Mongolian Arc uncovered a shallow ditch with an adjacent earth bank, challenging assumptions about a defensive wall
• Finds including Song dynasty coins, iron artifacts and a heated stone platform indicate significant investment in the garrison’s infrastructure and suggest year-round occupation
• The shallow trench likely functioned to regulate the movement of people, animals and goods through monitored crossing points rather than deter large-scale invasions
• Planned analysis of samples from the garrison site will help researchers reconstruct the diet, resources and daily lives of frontier occupants