What type of material was used to build the Great Wall?

Answer 1

The Great Wall of China was built with a variety of materials. In the eastern section of China, it was made out of lime, bricks, blocks of rocks and stones. The western sections of the Great Wall did not employ such durable materials, but rather used mud, straw, grass and pounded earth in wooden frames. This section was built earlier than the brick section. It also depended on which section of the Wall was being built at any given time. For example, while building over the mountain ranges, stones from the mountain were used. While building over the plains, earth was pounded into solid blocks. In the deserts, sanded reeds and juniper tamarisks were used. Tens of thousands of soldiers, peasant workers and even criminals were employed in the process, and thousands of them died, their bodies were also crammed into the wall and built over. Therefore, it could be said that the Wall is also made out of human bones.

Answer 2

Stones, sun-baked brick, and mortar made strong by mixing in grass. The walls were hollow, where the middle was filled with all kinds of rubble.

I've included 3 sites for a more complete research to your question:

Materials used for the wall, were whatever could be found near by; clay, stone, willow branches, reeds and sand.

Parts of this wall can still be seen in remote parts of China. What most visitors see of the Wall now was restored in the Ming dynasty, when stone slabs replaced clay bricks. It took 100 years to rebuild, and it is said that the amount of material used in the present wall alone is enough to circle the world at the equator five times.

* http://www.american.edu/ted/ice/wall.htmTransporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. The peasants who died working were buried inside the wall, to be unearthed later by archaeologists. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin Dynasty walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. Possibly as many as one million people died building the Wall under the Qin Dynasty.

* http://www.crystalinks.com/chinawall.html Unlike the earlier Qin fortifications, the Ming construction was stronger and more elaborate due to the use of bricks and stone instead of rammed earth. As Mongol raids continued periodically over the years, the Ming devoted considerable resources to repair and reinforce the walls. Sections near the Ming capital of Beijing were especially strong.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

Answer 3

The Great wall of china was made out of, lime, stone, brick, earth and wooden foundations