> I'm not emphasizing this for pedantic reasons. This wall is generally thought to have been intended as a very literal manifestation of the boundaries of the state and this whole area is what we call a borderlands. Western xia itself is a bit of a borderland in its entirety, and probably found it pretty useful to lay out a very physical manifestation of their power everyone could see. That's not the only reason something like this would have been built, but it's the most relevant one.
I have no problem with that. But it's unrelated to the idea I criticized, that the purpose of a wall like this is to funnel travelers with carts into a taxable chokepoint. A wall is not useful for that purpose. This wall is even less useful for that purpose than average.
I will note that the paper seems to disagree with you on what is generally thought of the wall:
>> This study challenges the perception of such structures as being purely defensive, revealing the Gobi Wall’s multifunctional role as an imperial tool for demarcating boundaries
But in this case, I'm inclined to believe you over the paper.
(I am curious about the fact that the wall was manned. That has to have been really expensive; it seems like it wouldn't be worth it for a mostly symbolic wall?)
> It's not [that extreme]. The Gobi is filled with marginal seasonal grazing lands
That doesn't really matter to the question of whether travelers attempting to cross it risk getting lost and dying if they go offroad. They're not traveling with a herd of sheep. They can't eat the odd patch of dusty grass, or find water.
And when the article notes that the wall seems to have been constructed in a way that specifically takes advantage of local sand dunes, that also suggests an inhospitable environment to me.
The paper generally agrees with what I'm saying. There's some impedance mismatch because I'm doing a sort of translation I do when explaining things to tech coworkers rather than using the words I'd use for another archaeologist, but quoting their conclusion:
This research supports a broader reconceptualization of medieval frontiers—not merely as static defensive barriers, but as dynamic administrative infrastructures. The Gobi Wall exemplifies a mode of Xi Xia statecraft that used architectural investments to manage re-sources, population movement, and territorial boundaries. This understanding aligns with theoretical models framing frontiers as zones of control and interaction, rather than rigid dividing lines [57], and invites broader comparative analysis across Eurasian contexts.
Basically, I'm saying "what many people think in private discussions" vs "this is what's written in the most cited works". Those can diverge pretty far in small fields like Mongolian archaeology.
That doesn't really matter to the question of whether travelers attempting to cross it risk getting lost and dying if they go offroad. They're not traveling with a herd of sheep. They can't eat the odd patch of dusty grass, or find water.
One slightly fun perspective is that livestock are mobile refrigerators. Living like that is actually why nomads are able to do well in Mongolia.
As for getting lost, basically not an issue for various reasons. More of an issue for non nomads.
I have no problem with that. But it's unrelated to the idea I criticized, that the purpose of a wall like this is to funnel travelers with carts into a taxable chokepoint. A wall is not useful for that purpose. This wall is even less useful for that purpose than average.
I will note that the paper seems to disagree with you on what is generally thought of the wall:
>> This study challenges the perception of such structures as being purely defensive, revealing the Gobi Wall’s multifunctional role as an imperial tool for demarcating boundaries
But in this case, I'm inclined to believe you over the paper.
(I am curious about the fact that the wall was manned. That has to have been really expensive; it seems like it wouldn't be worth it for a mostly symbolic wall?)
> It's not [that extreme]. The Gobi is filled with marginal seasonal grazing lands
That doesn't really matter to the question of whether travelers attempting to cross it risk getting lost and dying if they go offroad. They're not traveling with a herd of sheep. They can't eat the odd patch of dusty grass, or find water.
And when the article notes that the wall seems to have been constructed in a way that specifically takes advantage of local sand dunes, that also suggests an inhospitable environment to me.