China's Superintendency of Antiquities released the results of an investigation into the Great Wall last week. whose length has more than doubled. The ancient artifact - the only human sign that can be seen from an orbiting satellite - had, according to previous estimates, a length of 8.851,8 kilometers; this it has now been brought to 21.196,2 kilometres.
The previous estimate referred to the Wall built by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but now the great border wall also includes sections of the wall built by other dynasties. It all began in 2008, when a construction company that was excavating a highway linking Shenmu county and Yulin city (in Shaanxi province), found the remains of an ancient wall; these remains measured only 30 centimeters in height, but archaeologists determined that they belonged to the Great Wall, and subsequent excavations found other sections.
The construction of the Great Wall began long before the Ming Dynasty. The earliest remains date back to the 7th century BC, but it was Emperor Qin Shi Huang (the first of the Qin dynasty, 221-206 BC) who had the largest trunk of the largest structure ever erected by man built.
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