The Great Wall is not a single structure but a series of defensive walls, built by different Chinese states and dynasties over some two thousand years. The earliest walls date from the Spring and Autumn period, from around the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, when rival states such as Chu and Qi built ramparts of rammed earth to guard their territories. After uniting China around 221 BCE, the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, linked and extended some of these walls along the northern frontier to defend against nomadic peoples. The Han dynasty pushed fortifications far into the western deserts. The best-known stone and brick sections near Beijing were built mainly by the Ming dynasty from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. The Wall is also a lasting symbol of China, though it never stopped determined invaders entirely.
Before and after
- c. 729 BCEPiye of Kush conquers Egypt
- from 727 BCE to 715 BCETwenty-fourth Dynasty of Egypt
- from 722 BCE to 223 BCEChu
- from 706 BCE to 605 BCEOrigins of Dur-Sharrukin
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- 8th century BCELibrary of Ashurbanipal
- from 700 BCE to 309 BCEArgead dynasty
- from 664 BCE to 332 BCELate Period of ancient Egypt
- from 664 BCE to 525 BCETwenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 31st century BCE to 14th century BCEConstruction of Stonehenge
- c. 2,560 BCEConstruction of Great Pyramid of Giza
- 600 BCEFounding of Milan
- 80 CEThe Colosseum is inaugurated
- from 285 CE to 1453Byzantine Empire
- 25 March 421 CEFounding of Venice
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 8th century BCE.