logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
55m 19s

Great Wall of China

History Hit
About this episode

It's one of the most iconic structures in the world: The Great Wall of China.


But is it just one wall? And who built it and why? Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by William Lindesay OBE to delve into the ancient history of this epic structure and to answer these questions and more.


Together, they uncover the origin story. From the Warring States around 300 BC to the Qin Dynasty and China's first emperor, and then to its expansion during the Han Dynasty. They explore the evolution of the walls' symbolism and significance, the role it played in protecting against nomadic threats, through to modern day conservation and protection efforts and how important it is to understanding China's military and cultural history.


We need your help! We’re working on something special and we need your questions about the Roman Empire. Let us know here.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 18
The Ninth Legion: Did They Disappear?
It's one of history’s most compelling cold cases. What happened to the Ninth Legion, a crack unit of 5,000 Roman soldiers who vanished from the historical record without a trace?Tristan Hughes is joined by Roman historian Dr Simon Elliott to investigate the fate of the legion tha ... Show More
1h 9m
Oct 15
Viking Origins: The Nordic Iron Age
Two thousand years ago, centuries before the Vikings, there was another Scandinavia. An Iron Age world.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Marianne Hem Eriksen to uncover the deep roots of the seafaring North, journeying through a forgotten world of elite halls, Roman encounters, and ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 11
Caratacus: King of the Britons
Before Boudicca, another British leader brought the Roman war machine to a grinding halt. Meet Caratacus; the cunning King of the Britons who spent seven years outmaneuvering the empire.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Miles Russell to uncover the forgotten story of this charismat ... Show More
1h 6m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is one of the architectural wonders of the world. Stretching for over 21,000km - as far as London to New York and back, twice - it follows what used to be the border between China and Mongolia. Built over a period of 2,000 years by millions of conscripted ... Show More
53m 35s
May 2024
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is one of the architectural wonders of the world. Stretching for over 21,000km - as far as London to New York and back, twice - it follows what used to be the border between China and Mongolia. Built over a period of 2,000 years by millions of conscripted ... Show More
55m 3s
Dec 2015
The Great Wall of China Episode
<p>The Great Wall of China is one of the most visited tourist desinations in the world. How'd it get built? How old is it? What's the current condition? Learn this and more in today's episode.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo ... Show More
40m 22s
Aug 2022
38 History of Everything: The Great Wall
Enjoy this sneak peak into an extra episode that gets released for my patrons every week. If you want more content then make sure to check out my patreon and youtube! In c. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united de ... Show More
42m 13s
Mar 2021
Why was the Great Wall of China built?
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Wall of China is the largest construction undertaken by man. Built, for the most part, between the 3rd century BC and the 17th century AD, it was intended to protect a unified China from invasions from the north. According to the ... Show More
1m 48s
Jul 2020
The First Emperor of China
Join host Greg Jenner and travel back over 2,000 years to meet the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi. Learn all about the discovery of his world famous Terracotta Army, the fierce lengths he went to in order to unify China and why he was so fixated on discovering the secret ... Show More
16m 5s
Jan 2021
15. Walls and Borders
From the Great Wall of China to the Berlin Wall, history is littered with the building of barriers aimed at keeping people out, and sometimes in. Do they work? Are they ever a good thing? Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook climb walls and explore borders as they investigate the hi ... Show More
46 m
Feb 2021
20. China
Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the world’s oldest civilisation. What were the great moments in Chinese history and why do the Opium Wars still feature so prominently in the modern Chinese school syllabus? The birth of the ... Show More
58m 52s