The “Great Wall of Gorgan,” also, erroneously, known as “Alexander's Wall,” runs from the southeast corner of the Caspian Sea for at least 195 km eastward, into the Elburz mountains

Sauer, Eberhard

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     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Gorgan, Great Wall ofCitation for published version:Sauer, E 2012, 'Gorgan, Great Wall of' The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, pp. 2956-2957.,10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Author final version (often known as postprint)Published In:The Encyclopedia of Ancient HistoryPublisher Rights Statement:© Sauer, E. (2012). Gorgan, Great Wall of. The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2956-2957 doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 20. Feb. 2015© Sauer, E. (2012). Gorgan, Great Wall of. The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2956-2957 doi: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323  Gorgan, Great Wall of  By Eberhard Sauer, University of Edinburgh, eberhard.sauer@ed.ac.uk and Hamid Omrani Rekavandi, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organisation   The ‘Great Wall of Gorgan’, also, erroneously, known as ‘Alexander’s Wall’, runs from the south-east corner of the Caspian Sea for at least 195km eastwards, into the Elburz Mountains. Contrary to earlier hypotheses, it was not built under the Parthians, let alone the Macedonian king Alexander. Recent scientific dating places its construction firmly in the fifth or, possibly, early sixth century CE (Nokandeh et al. 2006), a period when the Sasanian Empire was involved in frequent armed conflicts with the Hephthalites. Shorter contemporary walls on the west and south coast of the Caspian Sea, notably the Derbent Wall and the Wall of Tamishe, suggest that the ‘Great Wall of Gorgan’ was part of a larger defensive system, also directed against enemies north of the Caucasus. The Wall represents an impressive testimony to the standards of Persian engineering and land-surveying, and the Sasanian Empire’s (or its local aristocracy’s) ability to mobilise a substantial labour force. A water canal led along most of the Wall and it thus followed a route with a constant gradient. It forms the longest ancient linear barrier between central Europe and China, and over 30 forts abut the Wall. Their combined size exceeds that of those on Hadrian’s Wall about threefold. Large barracks in their interior suggest a substantial permanent garrison. A rectangular fortress of 41ha size, 2km south of the Wall, with dense, though probably more transient, occupation around the time the Wall was built (and at least three similar campaign bases), provide further circumstantial evidence for the scale of Sasanian troop deployment on the Persian Empire’s northern frontier (Omrani et al. 2007-2008). Whilst there is not yet enough evidence to be certain, scientific dates suggest that the Wall retained its garrison until the turbulent times of the early to mid-seventh century CE.   SUGGESTED READING  Bivar, A. D. H. and Fehérvári, G. (1966) “The Walls of Tammīsha.” Iran 4: 35-50. Bivar, A. D. H. and Kiani, M. Y. (2003) “Gorgan IV. Archaeology - V. Pre-Islamic History.” Encyclopædia Iranica 11. New York: 148-53. Kettenhofen, E. (1996) “Darband.” Encyclopædia Iranica 7. Costa Mesa: 13-19. Kiani, M. Y. (1982) Parthian Sites in Hyrcania. The Gurgan Plain. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran Ergänzungsband 9. Berlin. Nokandeh, J., Sauer, E., Omrani Rekavandi, H., Wilkinson, T., Abbasi, G. A., Schwenninger, J.-L., Mahmoudi, M., Parker, D., Fattahi, M., Usher-Wilson, L. S., Ershadi, M., Ratcliffe, J. and Gale, R. (2006) “Linear Barriers of northern Iran: The Great Wall of Gorgan and the Wall of Tammishe.” Iran 44: 121-73. Omrani Rekavandi, H., Sauer, E., Wilkinson, T., Safari Tamak, E., Ainslie, R., Mahmoudi, M., Griffiths, S., Ershadi, M., Jansen Van Rensburg, J., Fattahi, M., Ratcliffe, J., Nokandeh, J., Nazifi, A., Thomas, R., Gale, R. and Hoffmann, B. (2007) “An imperial Frontier of the Sasanian Empire: further Fieldwork at the Great Wall of Gorgan.” Iran 45: 95-136. Omrani Rekavandi, H., Sauer, E., Wilkinson, T., Abbasi, G.A., Priestman, S., Safari Tamak, E., Ainslie, R., Mahmoudi, M., Galiatsatos, N., Roustai, K., Jansen Van  2 Rensburg, J., Ershadi, M., MacDonald, E., Fattahi, M., Oatley, C., Shabani, B., Ratcliffe, J. Usher-Wilson, L. S. (2008) “Sasanian Walls, hinterland Fortresses and abandoned ancient irrigated Landscapes: the 2007 Season on the Great Wall of Gorgan and the Wall of Tammishe.” Iran 46: 151-78. Powell, E. A. (2008) “The Shah’s Great Wall.” Archaeology 61.4: 36-41.  Cross-references:  Caspian/Hyrcanian Sea and region  Caucasus mountain (less relevant and optional)  Hadrian's Wall (less relevant and optional)  Iran  Persia and Byzantium  Sasanids    

Gorgan, Great Wall of

     Edinburgh Research Explorer                                      Gorgan, Great Wall ofCitation for published version:Sauer, E 2012, 'Gorgan, Great Wall of', The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, pp. 2956-2957.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323Link:Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research ExplorerDocument Version:Peer reviewed versionPublished In:The Encyclopedia of Ancient HistoryPublisher Rights Statement:© Sauer, E. (2012). Gorgan, Great Wall of. The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2956-2957 doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323General rightsCopyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s)and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise andabide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.Take down policyThe University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorercontent complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright pleasecontact openaccess@ed.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately andinvestigate your claim.Download date: 29. Nov. 2025© Sauer, E. (2012). Gorgan, Great Wall of. The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2956-2957 doi: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14323  Gorgan, Great Wall of  By Eberhard Sauer, University of Edinburgh, eberhard.sauer@ed.ac.uk and Hamid Omrani Rekavandi, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organisation   The ‘Great Wall of Gorgan’, also, erroneously, known as ‘Alexander’s Wall’, runs from the south-east corner of the Caspian Sea for at least 195km eastwards, into the Elburz Mountains. Contrary to earlier hypotheses, it was not built under the Parthians, let alone the Macedonian king Alexander. Recent scientific dating places its construction firmly in the fifth or, possibly, early sixth century CE (Nokandeh et al. 2006), a period when the Sasanian Empire was involved in frequent armed conflicts with the Hephthalites. Shorter contemporary walls on the west and south coast of the Caspian Sea, notably the Derbent Wall and the Wall of Tamishe, suggest that the ‘Great Wall of Gorgan’ was part of a larger defensive system, also directed against enemies north of the Caucasus. The Wall represents an impressive testimony to the standards of Persian engineering and land-surveying, and the Sasanian Empire’s (or its local aristocracy’s) ability to mobilise a substantial labour force. A water canal led along most of the Wall and it thus followed a route with a constant gradient. It forms the longest ancient linear barrier between central Europe and China, and over 30 forts abut the Wall. Their combined size exceeds that of those on Hadrian’s Wall about threefold. Large barracks in their interior suggest a substantial permanent garrison. A rectangular fortress of 41ha size, 2km south of the Wall, with dense, though probably more transient, occupation around the time the Wall was built (and at least three similar campaign bases), provide further circumstantial evidence for the scale of Sasanian troop deployment on the Persian Empire’s northern frontier (Omrani et al. 2007-2008). Whilst there is not yet enough evidence to be certain, scientific dates suggest that the Wall retained its garrison until the turbulent times of the early to mid-seventh century CE.   SUGGESTED READING  Bivar, A. D. H. and Fehérvári, G. (1966) “The Walls of Tammīsha.” Iran 4: 35-50. Bivar, A. D. H. and Kiani, M. Y. (2003) “Gorgan IV. Archaeology - V. Pre-Islamic History.” Encyclopædia Iranica 11. New York: 148-53. Kettenhofen, E. (1996) “Darband.” Encyclopædia Iranica 7. Costa Mesa: 13-19. Kiani, M. Y. (1982) Parthian Sites in Hyrcania. The Gurgan Plain. Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran Ergänzungsband 9. Berlin. Nokandeh, J., Sauer, E., Omrani Rekavandi, H., Wilkinson, T., Abbasi, G. A., Schwenninger, J.-L., Mahmoudi, M., Parker, D., Fattahi, M., Usher-Wilson, L. S., Ershadi, M., Ratcliffe, J. and Gale, R. (2006) “Linear Barriers of northern Iran: The Great Wall of Gorgan and the Wall of Tammishe.” Iran 44: 121-73. Omrani Rekavandi, H., Sauer, E., Wilkinson, T., Safari Tamak, E., Ainslie, R., Mahmoudi, M., Griffiths, S., Ershadi, M., Jansen Van Rensburg, J., Fattahi, M., Ratcliffe, J., Nokandeh, J., Nazifi, A., Thomas, R., Gale, R. and Hoffmann, B. (2007) “An imperial Frontier of the Sasanian Empire: further Fieldwork at the Great Wall of Gorgan.” Iran 45: 95-136. Omrani Rekavandi, H., Sauer, E., Wilkinson, T., Abbasi, G.A., Priestman, S., Safari Tamak, E., Ainslie, R., Mahmoudi, M., Galiatsatos, N., Roustai, K., Jansen Van  2 Rensburg, J., Ershadi, M., MacDonald, E., Fattahi, M., Oatley, C., Shabani, B., Ratcliffe, J. Usher-Wilson, L. S. (2008) “Sasanian Walls, hinterland Fortresses and abandoned ancient irrigated Landscapes: the 2007 Season on the Great Wall of Gorgan and the Wall of Tammishe.” Iran 46: 151-78. Powell, E. A. (2008) “The Shah’s Great Wall.” Archaeology 61.4: 36-41.  Cross-references:  Caspian/Hyrcanian Sea and region  Caucasus mountain (less relevant and optional)  Hadrian's Wall (less relevant and optional)  Iran  Persia and Byzantium  Sasanids    

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Gorgan, Great Wall of

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