Archaeologists study the mysterious Mongol Arch, a network of fortifications that stretches 405 kilometers along the border between Mongolia and China. Recently, a team of archaeologists made significant discoveries about an ancient wall system located in eastern Mongolia. This network of structures, spanning 405 kilometers, has been dubbed the “Mongolian Arc” due to its curved shape.
It is part of a larger system of walls and trenches built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD along the borders of China and Mongolia.
Despite its enormous scale, this extensive system had been little studied. To understand it in depth, researchers applied innovative methodologies such as high-resolution satellite images, remote sensors, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
This allowed them to accurately map, for the first time, the full extent of the Mongolian Arc as well as internal features such as its orientation and changes in width.
Then, in July 2022, they conducted a field survey to analyze the spatial organization of the wall and the 34 associated structures, such as earthen castles, along its route. They measured and recorded each feature for subsequent spatial analysis.
Some of the most striking findings were the large gaps in the wall line in certain sections. These spaces, up to 1 kilometer wide, do not appear to be natural but rather indicate that the wall was never built in those places.
Another noteworthy discovery, when comparing the Mongolian Arc with another section of the wall further north, is that the structures are closer together, typically every 8 km, instead of the 20-30 km separation in the other area.
By analyzing historical records such as the official histories of the Liao and Jin dynasties, scientists believe that this section of the system was hastily constructed around the year 1200 AD to defend against imminent Mongol invasions. This could explain the presence of the wide gaps.
However, other analyses based on visibility between structures seem to rule out that their main function was military. Through a digital terrain model generated from satellite images, researchers discovered that many structures had limited visibility to each other, especially in the southern area where they were located on the other side of a mountain range.
This evidence, combined with the fact that they were not positioned on the highest points of the terrain, suggests that their purpose was not strictly defensive but rather to control the movement of people and livestock, as well as perform administrative tasks such as tax collection.
In the future, excavations will be carried out on two representative structures to date them more accurately using techniques such as carbon-14 and to analyze materials such as bones and ceramics. They will also use high-resolution multispectral photography to explore in detail the mysterious gaps in the wall.
This groundbreaking study provides new data on a little-known portion of Mongolia’s complex history. Additionally, it demonstrates the valuable contributions that arise from combining field archaeology with sophisticated digital tools. The findings raise questions that will likely inspire further research.
Sources
Ying Tung Fung, Angaragdulguun Gantumur, Ido Wachtel, Amartuvshin Chunag, Zhidong Zhang, Or Fenigstein, Dan Golan & Gideon Shelach-Lavi (2023) Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia, Journal of Field Archaeology, DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2023.2295198
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