The Great Wall of China hid ancient war weapons

Recently, a team of archaeologists in China made a fascinating discovery. By unearthing an ancient weapons cache that had been hidden in the Great Wall of China for more than five centuries. This surprising find included 59 stone pomegranates dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These relics offer an intriguing perspective on the military strategies employed in that historical era, revealing valuable details about the region's military past.

Great Wall of China

Some details of the history of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is an ancient defense work built between the 5th century BC. C. and XVI. It is a world wonder and a very popular tourist destination today. Furthermore, the construction still harbors great mysteries.

With an approximate length of 21,200 km, including branches and secondary constructions, it only preserves around 30% of its original extension. It has heights that range between 6 and 7 meters, and a width of 4 to 5 meters on average. In 1987 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site. China devotes considerable efforts to restore and preserve this monumental structure.

It is made up of thousands of walls and many of them are parallel to each other. The wall was erected over two millennia as a defense against various nomadic groups. Its first sections date from the 7th century BC

Despite this, it was not until the 3rd century BC that the existing walls were merged into a single structure to protect themselves from northern incursions. The order was given by the first emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang,

They discover a deposit of ancient weapons in the same wall

Recently, archaeologists in China made a fascinating discovery. It is a deposit of ancient weapons more than 500 years old hidden in the wall itself. Among the finds were 59 stone pomegranates dating to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), providing an intriguing insight into the military strategies of the era.

stone grenades
Ancient stone grenades. Image from Xataka

These seemingly common stones have a circular hole in the center designed to be loaded with gunpowder. In this way, once filled, they sealed them. They were thrown to hit the enemy, and also to cause an explosion and overcome them.

Shang Heng is one of the archaeologists involved in the discovery. He commented that it is the first time that they have discovered a weapons cache of this type in that place.

In addition to finding the weapons deposit, archaeologists also discovered in the same area, a wall whose structure is shaped like a horse's head. It is designed for launching projectiles and shooting arrows.

In turn, they identified vestiges of a fort built with stone in the vicinity of the wall, along with evidence of bonfires, stoves, shovels and other utensils. During the Ming Dynasty, border guards and sentries carried out their daily duties in the defensive towers of the wall, whenever the conditions of enemy engagement permitted.

This unique archaeological find provides valuable insight into the military tactics employed in ancient China, and its historical relevance is a fascinating testament to the evolution of warfare strategies over time.

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