A team of archaeologists found in the Great Wall of China almost 60 stone “bombs” dating from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and which revealed for the first time the existence of an armory in the section of the wall that crosses Beijing.
The 59 gadgets, excavated in the much visited Badaling sectionhad “great explosive power” and were used in defense against enemy invasions, explained the archaeologist. Ma Luweicited by the official newspaper Global Times.
“These weapons were easy to make and very useful for soldiers to throw at invaders from the top of the wall,” Ma said.
Stone bombs were also one of the preferred instruments of Qi Jiguang, a Ming dynasty general considered an innovator of weaponry and the military system of the time.
The discovery took place in one of the wall’s surveillance watchtowers which, according to archaeologists, served as an armory and would be the first to be identified in the section of the construction that passes through Beijing.