The Wall Project: Surveys& Excavations
Between 2018 and 2024, surveys and excavations were conducted along three medieval wall systems in the Mongolian Steppe and the Gobi Desert.
The Northern Line is sometimes referred to by its traditional name, the “Wall of Chinggis Khan.” It stretches 737 km across the steppe along the border region of present-day Mongolia, Russia, and China. Using satellite imagery and remote sensing analysis, the Wall Project identified 72 circular and rectangular stamped-earth enclosures. These enclosures are arranged into 42 clusters, each consisting of one to three enclosures. In 2018, we conducted vehicle and pedestrian surveys of structures and wall sections located in present-day Dornod Province, Mongolia. During the three excavation seasons, during 2019, 2022, and 2024, we excavated within the enclosures and nearby wall sections at two clusters, labeled 23 and 24. Additionally, we conducted a geophysical survey of cluster 23 and in 2021, we excavated a grave located within cluster 27. Our excavations have dated the Northern Line to the Liao-Khitan period (916–1125). They have also revealed details about the construction of the wall/trench system, the pounded-earth enclosures, and structures within them. Furthermore, our findings provide insights into the lifeways of the people who inhabited these sites, the resources and artifacts they utilized, and the overall function of the Northern Line system.
Shelach-Lavi, Gideon, et al. 2020. Medieval long-wall construction on the Mongolian Steppe during the eleventh to thirteenth centuries AD. Antiquity 94.375 (2020): 724-741.
Shelach-Lavi, G., Y. Jaffe and G. Bar-Oz 2021. Cavalry and the Great Walls of China and Mongolia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(16).
Hanks, B. et al. 2024. Examining Medieval Long-Wall Frontier Systems (11th – 12th centuries AD) through Archaeological Geophysics in the Eastern Mongolian Steppe Region. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 60: 104860.
Amartuvshin C. et al. 2024. An Elite Grave of the Pre-Mongol Period, from Dornod Province, Mongolia. Archaeological Research in Asia. 39.
The Mongolian Arc is part of a larger system of walls, trenches, and associated structures extending over more than 1,500 km across Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, China, as well as present-day Mongolia. The Mongolian Arc itself is a 405 km-long wall section located in the Dornod and Sukhbaatar provinces of Mongolia. In 2022, following an intensive analysis of satellite imagery and remote sensing data, we conducted vehicle and pedestrian surveys of structures and wall sections along the Mongolian Arc. During the survey, we identified 34 rectangular enclosures situated along the Mongolian Arc line. Among these structures, 32 are strongly associated with the wall and two (MA21 and MA12) are ambiguous. In 2023, we excavated a section of the wall line near enclosure MA03, as well as areas within the enclosure itself (Shelach-Lavi et al. 2025). Radiocarbon dating (AMS 14C) of nine samples recovered from our excavations indicates that this site, and the entire Mongolian Arc, dates to the Jin period (1115–1234), most likely to the first half of the dynasty. Our excavations revealed that the enclosure walls, as well as structures within them, were constructed using a combination of pounded earth and stones. Notably, the Mongolian Arc itself—at least in the excavated section—did not contain a formally constructed wall but rather a relatively shallow trench. Our findings provide valuable insights into the lifeways of the people who inhabited these sites, the resources and artifacts they utilized, and the overall function of the Mongolian Arc system. Additionally, we excavated one grave located inside the walls of MA03 and four more graves outside of it; however, these burials do not belong to the period when MA03 was in use.
Fung, Ying Tung, et al. 2024. Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia. Journal of Field Archaeology 49.4: 225-242.
Storozum, Michael, et al. 2021. Mapping the Medieval Wall System of China and Mongolia: A Multi-Method Approach. Land 10.10: 997.
Shelach-Lavi, G. et al. 2025. Life along the medieval frontier: Archaeological investigations of the southeastern long wall of Mongolia. Antiquity (in press).
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The Gobi Wall stretches for 321 kilometers in an arc parallel to the Mongolia-China border. A survey and excavations conducted in 2024 documented 15 garrisons, 5 refuge fortresses, and 3 hilltop forts, revealing variations in construction, including stone, wood, and earth-built sections. Strategic placement near underground water sources facilitated settlement along the wall. Alongside the survey, excavations were conducted at two sites, G05 and G10, to further investigate the structure and function of the fortifications. Radiocarbon dating aims to refine its chronology, with previous dates suggesting 1175–1400 AD. The study enhances understanding of the wall’s function, geographic logic, and role in medieval frontier systems.
