al icon that represents an immense undertaking that shows a culture to the world. What I find is the most interesting about the Great Wall is that it is an anthropologist’s dream. Physically, culturally, politically, economically, and militaristic, the list goes on and on. Physically, the wall is a 4,500-mile long structure that covers land from the Gobi desert to the mountains of Korea! It is not a single wall but a series of walls built over a time span of over one thousand years. The wall was built and rebuilt many times throughout the ages. Seventy Percent of China’s population was involved in building the Qin section of the wall! Different building techniques were used to build the wall. Such as a mixture of reed, sand, and water mixed to form 4-inch layers one by one until the wall was in full form; this technique was used in the Gobi desert section. During the Ming dynasty the wall was built using bricks made in kilns. These bricks are the quality of current masonry bricks. The Ming portion of the wall is the portion of the wall that is known greatly to modern society because of the durability of the building techniques. Culturally, the Wall is an item that has been the epitome of a representation of a society that has changed immensely through time. “No, the wall is not for modern use; it is an ancient fossil-the largest fossil on the planet. But fossils are useful and truthful. It is the dividing line between two civilizations, and between two eras.” (Geil, Page #) These quote sums up the extent that the Great Wall can be related to anthropology. This is an important concept. Politically, the wall is something that has been used to intimidate, invite, and shun people, whether inside the constraints of the wall or on the outside. Shi Huang Ti was a tyrant, an amazing leader that brought together cultures and turned them into one. “…the fundamental social and cultural unity which is China has r...
