Archaeological Research On The Border Defense Facilities In The Northern Border Areas From The Warring States Period To The Qin And Han Dynasties

The warring states and the qin-han period experienced a great transformation in ancient Chinese society.The northern border region with frequent activities among nationalities was a key area under the management of Central Plains dynasty.On the basis of inheriting the experience of previous generations,the border facilities in the northern border region were innovated and developed,which has a far-reaching influence on future generations.As academic research has progressed in width and depth,we are required to analyze the relationship between the border defense system and the prosperity and depression of a dynasty from a historical standpoint,and explore the innovation of border defense facilities in construction methods in past dynasties from the point of archaeology.In this paper,the border defense facilities of the northern border region during the warring states and the qin-han period are mainly discussed,including Great Wall defense system,transportation post system,beacon communication system and military garrison system.A comprehensive study on the spatial and geographical distribution and construction features of the border defense facilities system in this region during this period is to be carried out in this study.This paper is divided into five chapters:Firstly,the trend of the Great Wall and the existing remains of Yan,Zhao and Qin in the northern border region during the warring states period is discussed.As the development basis of Chinese ancient military defense project,the engineering of border defense facilities in the warring states period deeply affected the border defense system in Qin and Han Dynasties.Therefore,it is necessary to discuss the trend of the Great Wall constructed by Yan,Zhao and Qin in the northern border region,construction features and the current situation of barrier distribution along the line.The border facilities constructed in the northern border region during the period of Qin Shi Huang is mainly analyzed.Qin Shi Huang established a unified centralized state,built the Great Wall of Qin with the strength of the whole nation,promoted the system of prefectures and counties to the northern border region,and built expressway of the Qin Empire to facilitate the communication between the central and border regions.In this chapter,a more detailed exploration on the starting point and direction of the Great Wall of Qin,the passing places of expressway of the Qin Empire and the preservation of roadside facilities is to be made.The military defense project in the northern border region during the Western Han period is mainly explored in this paper.During the reign of Emperor Hanwu,the territory of the Western Han Dynasty was expanded to the whole Hexi Corridor and Huangshui River Basin with Huns expelled,which opens the door to the Western Regions.The Great Wall at the northern foot of the Yinshan Mountains and in Hexi Frontiers of Han Dynasty newly built in period of the Western Han Dynasty have their own characteristics in construction methods from the existing remains.The government of the Western Han Dynasty promoted the local administrative system to the northern border region and set up the commandant-border commandant system.In this chapter,archaeological typology is used to classify the newly built walls of the Great Wall and determine the geographical location of some commandant seats.Furthermore,archaeological materials are combined to analyze the plane layout and military function of little town.The Great Wall defense system and garrison city defense system during the period of the Eastern Han Dynasty is discussed.The former study on the Great Wall of the Eastern Han Dynasty was not deep enough,and documentary records fail to be effectively combined with archaeological investigations to explore the distribution and construction methods of the Great Wall of the Eastern Han Dynasty.In this chapter,based on historical records and archaeological reports,it is speculated that the Great Wall in the northern border region of the Eastern Han Dynasty runs east-south,starting from Liaoxi County and ending in the northern zone of Yanmen County through Youbeiping County,Yuyang County,Shanggu County and Daijun County.From the density of the existing remains,the government of the Eastern Han Dynasty attached great importance to the defense line of northern border region.The distribution,development and construction features of border defense facilities in the northern border region from the warring states period to Qin and Han Dynasties are summarized.Mostly built on the direction of mountains and rivers,early border facilities were greatly influenced by the natural environment.The construction types of the Great Wall can be divided into three major categories:stone,earth and earth-stone,and the construction materials are basically related to the way landscapes.The beacon system plays the role of military outpost,and the town serves as the function of military support and enemy diversion,which forms a rigorous military defense system.The border defense facilities in the northern border region during the warring states period,Qin and Han Dynasties not only played a military role,but also had positive effects on the economic development and cultural exchanges between the central plain areas and the border areas.Through the research on this special topic,the evolution and spatial distribution of border defense facilities in the northern border region during the warring states period,Qin and Han Dynasties can be basically restored;the construction features of border defense facilities and the distribution characteristics of military settlements can also be truly displayed through the arrangement and summary of archaeological excavation report information,thus we can have more profound understanding of the ancient military defense system and border management policy.The research significance of this special topic is to provide reference for today’s national defense construction and border governance by restoring the evolution and innovation of military defense project from the warring states period to Qin and Han Dynasties and analyzing the construction modes..