What Is The Great Wall of China Made Of?
Great Wall (original photo by Exfordy per this license) The earlier sections of the wall, constructed from the Spring & Autumn Period and Warring States Period through the Jin Dynasty of Northern China & Mongolia (1125-1234, in existence at the same time as the Southern Song Dynasty), were made of whatever materials were available locally, often just dirt and rammed between boards in four inch layers, or loose stones stacked on top of each other, slightly molded to fit.¹ Parts of the Han Dynasty (206BC – 220AC) Great Wall was made of packed fine gravel (first wet and then packed for greater density) reinforced by willow reeds.² The Great Wall as we imagine it today was built during the Ming Dynasty, and was made of bricks, tiles, lime, and stone. Cut stones formed the foundation, outside portions of the wall, and gates, with bricks used on the inside, as stone could hold weight better and more effectively fend off any assault against the wall.
