Construction of the Great Wall of China
When was the great wall of china built?
The construction of the Great Wall of China was a massive feat that took a ton of
laborers to build. Its construction and reconstruction spans several centuries.
Construction of the Great Wall began around 220 BC. It was built on and off for
many centuries until the 1500s.
How it was Made?
In the Qin dynasty, the wall was made by certain methods. The laborers would put
a thick layer of raw earth on the bottom. This was used as a foundation of sorts. On
top of that they would put a layer of silt and clay known as loess. After this
foundation had been built, rammed earth was used to build up the wall.
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How was the great wall of china built?
In order to make the rammed earth for the wall, laborers would fill a wooden frame
full of dirt and place it on the foundation. Than they would smash it down until it
was very compact. That would be one thin layer of compact earth. They would
place each layer on top of the last. Stone fragments and other debris were added as
well to try and strengthen the wall.It was a long process.
The Ming dynasty had different methods of building the Great Wall. They had
better technology such as kilns to make strong bricks for building. They would
build the wall by constructing rammed earth and using it as the innermost layer of
the wall. They would then use bricks and stone on the outer layer by methodically
placing them together. They had a special mortar for the bricks that was made of
rice and lime.This method made a wall that was many times stronger.
What was the great wall of china built out of?
Building the Great Wall was a tremendous effort. Trying to send materials from
anyplace that wasn't local was too much of a hassle. Depending on the landscape,
the materials of the wall would change accordingly to decrease transportation
problems.
If the wall was going through a mountain, stones from that same mountain would
be used as materials for the wall. If the wall was passing through plains, rammed
earth would be used.
When the wall passed through the desert, the materials used were juniper tamarisks
and sanded reeds.The materials used when the Great Wall was first built were
mostly rammed earth and loess since weapon technology wasn't very advanced.
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The Ming dynasty brought with it new, stronger materials for the Great Wall. They
used bricks, stone slabs and lime.
Which type of rock is used to make the great wall of china?
This ancient great wall was actually built of wood, earth, grass, and three principal
different types of stone: granite (magmatic rock), white marble (metamorphic rock)
and and white stones (sedimentary rock, like sandstone and limestone). The
stone(s) are from the hills surrounding the area, therefore many types of stones are
involved in the construction including a white metorite. The answer is vast and to
name a single stone would be incorrect. See the geology of that area. This was a
massive undertaking and needed thousands of workers. Over 300,000 workmen,
criminals and political prisoners were dragged off to build the wall. Many died
from starvation, fighting, or just plain exhaustion before even getting to the
construction sites. It is thought that some of the dead were buried in the
foundations of the wall to ward off evil spirits. For the surviving workers, the
problem they faced was the constantly changing terrain as they travelled west.
There wasn't always rock available, so they used earth and rubble that they
pounded until it was hard. In other places the hills were so steep that oxen couldn't
pull the carts of rock up to the building site, so the men themselves carried the
rocks on their backs. In the desert, the wall was built using sand, pebbles and grass.
Shi Huang Di became the first emperor of a united China and decided that the
various walls needed to be fortified and joined together. He ordered thousands of
watchtowers to be built 12 metres tall and 12 square metres at their base with 6metre walls of granite joining them
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Why was the great wall built?
The Great Wall of China was built to protect the emperor and his states from the
Mongolians and other warlike peoples. The beginning of the Great Wall actually
started with several smaller barriers that various dukedoms created for protection.
Walls are a great way to slow down and even stop military forces.
Who built it?
Convicts, forced laborers, and soldiers all contributed to its construction. Hundreds
of thousands of people helped build the wall. This number may have even climbed
up to a million during some periods. Even some regular citizens were forced to
help build the wall since there was such a desperate need for labor.
How many people built the great wall of china?
Approximatly it took 500.000 people to build the Great wall of china.
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How Materials were Moved?
Because of the lack of technology for moving materials, some of the large stones
and other materials had to be moved purely by the laborers. They would slowly
move larger objects to the necessary areas.
Wheelbarrows were an other convenient way to move materials. Many strong
animals that could carry heavy burdens helped immensely in material transport.
There were a few innovative, helpful ways to move materials and build the wall.
They'd use baskets to move some materials, and they would also use rolling
timbers to help with moving very heavy items.
Several dynasties added a little repair over the centuries. Because the Great Wall
was of good use to most of the dynasties, they repaired sections that would benefit
them the most.
The Great Wall was a massive effort that took many different types of materials
and a couple of innovative methods to build. It is a modern marvel.
Source: www.great-wallofchina.com
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