A new study by archaeologists from Israel, Mongolia, and the United States is changing how scholars understand medieval infrastructure on the Asian steppe. The research focuses on the so-called Medieval Wall System of Mongolia—an extensive network of walls, trenches, and fortified enclosures—and reveals that these structures served far more than military purposes.
Led by Gideon Shelach-Lavi and Dan Golan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the project was carried out in partnership with Chunag Amartuvshin from the National University of Mongolia and William Honeychurch from Yale University. Their findings, recently published in the journal Antiquity, offer new insights into the construction, purpose, and long-term significance of the medieval Gobi Wall and surrounding frontier systems.
A Wall Across the Desert
The Gobi Wall stretches 321 kilometres through the highland deserts of Mongolia and is part of a broader system of medieval frontier installations that once extended from China into Mongolia and beyond. Through remote sensing, pedestrian surveys, and targeted excavations, the researchers uncovered new evidence showing that the wall and its garrison complexes were primarily constructed during the Xi Xia dynasty (1038–1227), which was ruled by the Tungut people of western China and southern Mongolia.
Rather than serving solely as a military barrier, the Gobi Wall helped manage the imperial frontier.
“This research challenges long-standing assumptions about imperial frontier systems in Inner Asia,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “The Gobi Wall was not just a barrier—it was a dynamic mechanism for governing movement, trade, and territorial control in a challenging environment.”
Drone documentation of garrison G03, illustrating spatial relationships with Kherem Öndör Mountain and fortification F41 within the integrated defensive network. (Photo Tal Rogovski; arrangement Dan Golan).
Constructed from rammed earth with stone and wood reinforcements, the wall’s path took advantage of mountain passes and sand dunes to maximise its effectiveness. It was carefully placed based on resource availability—particularly access to water and wood—and reveals a sophisticated approach to frontier management in an arid and remote environment.
The researchers also found evidence of periodic occupation at various sites along the wall from as early as the 2nd century BCE through to the 19th century CE. This suggests the area maintained strategic and symbolic importance across many centuries.
Discoveries from the Mongolian Arc
The team’s 2023 fieldwork focused on the “Mongolian Arc,” a remote zone in Mongolia’s Sukhbaatar and Dornod provinces near the modern Chinese border. One of the key findings came from a site known as MA03, where a fortified enclosure was discovered without a standing wall. Instead, archaeologists uncovered a shallow trench stretching more than 300 kilometres, suggesting the structure functioned more as a territorial marker or checkpoint than a defensive fortification.
“Our goal was not only to understand how these walls were built, but to uncover what life was like for the people who lived near them,” explained Professor Shelach-Lavi. “This goes beyond military history—it’s about reconstructing everyday experiences on the edges of imperial power.”
At MA03, the excavation revealed stone architecture, a sophisticated heating system, and a variety of artefacts including pottery, iron tools, animal bones, and even a broken iron plough. These discoveries suggest a permanent settlement engaged in herding, agriculture, and hunting—challenging the common perception of the region as entirely nomadic. The heating system closely resembled those used in medieval China and Korea, pointing to cultural exchange and adaptation to Mongolia’s harsh winters.
Grave inside the garission (Credit- Gideon SHelach-Lavi)
One of the most striking discoveries was a mid-fifteenth-century burial inserted long after the enclosure had been abandoned. The grave, which contained preserved textiles, wooden objects, and metal items, was dug directly into the collapsed enclosure wall.
“This tells us that even centuries later, the site still held meaning,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “It remained visible in the landscape and may have been remembered—or even revered—by later communities.”
Rethinking the Medieval Steppe
The findings are part of The Wall: People and Ecology in Medieval Mongolia and China, an ongoing research project based at the Hebrew University and funded by the European Research Council. The goal is to reconstruct how people lived, worked, and interacted across one of medieval Eurasia’s most expansive but little-known frontier regions.
In the context of Mongolia—often seen through the lens of nomadic empires and sweeping military campaigns—this study paints a more nuanced picture. The so-called medieval walls were not just military installations but tools for organising territory, regulating trade, and managing diverse populations over time.
Black stone wall section. (Credit: Tal Rogovski; arrangement and map Dan Golan)
“Our research reminds us to look beyond capital cities and royal courts,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “People lived, worked, traded, and built communities along these borderlands. Understanding their lives helps us understand the broader dynamics that shaped Eurasian history.”
The article, “Life along the medieval frontier: archaeological investigations of the south-eastern long wall of Mongolia,” by Gideon Shelach-Lavi, Chunag Amartuvshin, Dor Heimberg, Daniela Wolin, Gantumur Angaragdulguun, Tal Rogovski, Jingchao Chen, Or Fenigstein, Tikvah Steiner and William Honeychurch, appears in Antiquity. Click here to read.
Wall sections (Credit: Tal Rogovski)
Top Image: Excavation at G05 at area. Credit: M. Ullman
A new study by archaeologists from Israel, Mongolia, and the United States is changing how scholars understand medieval infrastructure on the Asian steppe. The research focuses on the so-called Medieval Wall System of Mongolia—an extensive network of walls, trenches, and fortified enclosures—and reveals that these structures served far more than military purposes.
Led by Gideon Shelach-Lavi and Dan Golan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the project was carried out in partnership with Chunag Amartuvshin from the National University of Mongolia and William Honeychurch from Yale University. Their findings, recently published in the journal Antiquity, offer new insights into the construction, purpose, and long-term significance of the medieval Gobi Wall and surrounding frontier systems.
A Wall Across the Desert
The Gobi Wall stretches 321 kilometres through the highland deserts of Mongolia and is part of a broader system of medieval frontier installations that once extended from China into Mongolia and beyond. Through remote sensing, pedestrian surveys, and targeted excavations, the researchers uncovered new evidence showing that the wall and its garrison complexes were primarily constructed during the Xi Xia dynasty (1038–1227), which was ruled by the Tungut people of western China and southern Mongolia.
Rather than serving solely as a military barrier, the Gobi Wall helped manage the imperial frontier.
“This research challenges long-standing assumptions about imperial frontier systems in Inner Asia,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “The Gobi Wall was not just a barrier—it was a dynamic mechanism for governing movement, trade, and territorial control in a challenging environment.”
Constructed from rammed earth with stone and wood reinforcements, the wall’s path took advantage of mountain passes and sand dunes to maximise its effectiveness. It was carefully placed based on resource availability—particularly access to water and wood—and reveals a sophisticated approach to frontier management in an arid and remote environment.
The researchers also found evidence of periodic occupation at various sites along the wall from as early as the 2nd century BCE through to the 19th century CE. This suggests the area maintained strategic and symbolic importance across many centuries.
Discoveries from the Mongolian Arc
The team’s 2023 fieldwork focused on the “Mongolian Arc,” a remote zone in Mongolia’s Sukhbaatar and Dornod provinces near the modern Chinese border. One of the key findings came from a site known as MA03, where a fortified enclosure was discovered without a standing wall. Instead, archaeologists uncovered a shallow trench stretching more than 300 kilometres, suggesting the structure functioned more as a territorial marker or checkpoint than a defensive fortification.
“Our goal was not only to understand how these walls were built, but to uncover what life was like for the people who lived near them,” explained Professor Shelach-Lavi. “This goes beyond military history—it’s about reconstructing everyday experiences on the edges of imperial power.”
At MA03, the excavation revealed stone architecture, a sophisticated heating system, and a variety of artefacts including pottery, iron tools, animal bones, and even a broken iron plough. These discoveries suggest a permanent settlement engaged in herding, agriculture, and hunting—challenging the common perception of the region as entirely nomadic. The heating system closely resembled those used in medieval China and Korea, pointing to cultural exchange and adaptation to Mongolia’s harsh winters.
One of the most striking discoveries was a mid-fifteenth-century burial inserted long after the enclosure had been abandoned. The grave, which contained preserved textiles, wooden objects, and metal items, was dug directly into the collapsed enclosure wall.
“This tells us that even centuries later, the site still held meaning,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “It remained visible in the landscape and may have been remembered—or even revered—by later communities.”
Rethinking the Medieval Steppe
The findings are part of The Wall: People and Ecology in Medieval Mongolia and China, an ongoing research project based at the Hebrew University and funded by the European Research Council. The goal is to reconstruct how people lived, worked, and interacted across one of medieval Eurasia’s most expansive but little-known frontier regions.
In the context of Mongolia—often seen through the lens of nomadic empires and sweeping military campaigns—this study paints a more nuanced picture. The so-called medieval walls were not just military installations but tools for organising territory, regulating trade, and managing diverse populations over time.
“Our research reminds us to look beyond capital cities and royal courts,” said Professor Shelach-Lavi. “People lived, worked, traded, and built communities along these borderlands. Understanding their lives helps us understand the broader dynamics that shaped Eurasian history.”
The article, “Life along the medieval frontier: archaeological investigations of the south-eastern long wall of Mongolia,” by Gideon Shelach-Lavi, Chunag Amartuvshin, Dor Heimberg, Daniela Wolin, Gantumur Angaragdulguun, Tal Rogovski, Jingchao Chen, Or Fenigstein, Tikvah Steiner and William Honeychurch, appears in Antiquity. Click here to read.
Top Image: Excavation at G05 at area. Credit: M. Ullman
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