The English word 'wall' is derived from the Latin, vallus meaning 'a stake' or 'post' and designated the wood-stake and earth palisade which formed the outer edge of a fortification. The palisades were in use early on and are mentioned by Homer in the 8th century BCE and later by the Greek historian Polybius (c 200-118 BCE) and the Chinese historian Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) among others. Walls have traditionally been built for defense, privacy, and to protect the people of a certain region from the influence or perceived danger posed by outsiders.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 10000 BCETemple walls of Gobekli Tepe built.
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c. 5400 BCEThe City of Eridu is founded.
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c. 4800 BCENeolithic village of Banpo in China built.
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4500 BCEFirst walled cities. Uruk in Mesopotamia first city.
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3100 BCENeolithic Village of Skara Brae inhabited, stone walls built.
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c. 2500 BCEVillage of Skara Brae is abandoned for unknown reasons.
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c. 2038 BCEKing Shulgi of Ur builds his great wall in Sumer.
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c. 1792 BCEKing Hammurabi builds walls of Babylon.
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1180 BCE - 1178 BCERamesses III of the 20th Dynasty fortifies Xois against the threat of the invading Sea Peoples.
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c. 575 BCENebuchadnezzar II builds the Ishtar Gate and great walls of Babylon.
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247 BCE - 224 CEThe Parthian Empire builds The Great Wall of Gorgan.
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220 BCE - 210 BCEEmperor Shi Huangti initiates building the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal.
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c. 218 BCEConstruction of the Great Wall of China is initiated.
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194 BCEThe great walls of the city of Xi'an built.
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122 CEConstruction begins on Hadrian's Wall.
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142 CEThe Antonine Wall built under Antoninus Pius, north of Hadrian's Wall.
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265 CEGallienus builds walls around Verona.
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410 CERome withdraws forces from Britain.
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410 CE - 413 CEThe Theodosian Walls are built to better protect Constantinople.
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469 CEThe Byzantine Empire builds the Anastasian Wall.
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628 CEThe Goguryeo kingdom of northern Korea builds a 480-km defensive wall as protection against attack from China.
