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Beyond Myths/ What does new research reveal about the Great Wall of China?

2026-03-24 19:55:00, Kuriozitete CNA

Known as the world's first nomadic empire, the Xiongnu built a massive territory stretching from Kazakhstan to Mongolia. Their skills in mounted warfare made them swift and fearsome enemies, and their legendary conflicts with Imperial China led to the construction of the Great Wall.

Now, scientists have discovered that high-status women, perhaps princesses, were revered in Xiongnu society and were instrumental in expanding the empire's reach. Experts conducted a genetic investigation of two Xiongnu imperial elite cemeteries along the empire's western border, in present-day Mongolia.

These princesses were buried with horse equipment such as saddles, bridles and bronze chariot pieces - items that are usually "associated with the male figure and power", they found.

The analysis was conducted by an international team of experts at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) and Geoanthropology (MPI-GEO), Seoul National University, the University of Michigan, and Harvard University.

Study author Dr Bryan Miller at the University of Michigan said: "Women held great power as agents of the Xiongnu imperial state along the frontier. They often held exclusive noble ranks, preserving Xiongnu traditions and engaging in both steppe power politics and so-called exchange networks."

Centered in the territory of present-day Mongolia, the Xiongnu empire controlled large parts of Asia for nearly three centuries, starting around 209 BC until their final dissolution at the end of the first century AD.

At their peak, the Xiongnu profoundly influenced the political economies of Central, Inner and East Asia, becoming a major political rival to imperial China, the experts say in their paper. They established “long-distance trade networks” that imported Roman glass, Persian textiles, Egyptian faience, Greek silver and bronze, silk and Chinese lacquer.

The Xiongnu first appeared in historical records around the 5th century BC, when their repeated raids into northern China prompted the construction of the famous Great Wall. Unfortunately for historians, the Xiongnu had no writing system, so historical records about the Xiongnu are almost entirely written down and passed down by their rivals and enemies. / CNA