Walls: The Long History of Human Barriers and Why We Build Them

Walls: The Long History of Human Barriers and Why We Build Them, from the “Orca Timelines” series, presents a look at different walls that human societies have built over time and the purpose of each wall. Some walls were built to keep people out, other walls were built to keep people in, and still others were built to make money.

Each chapter groups together walls that were built for the same or similar purpose. For example, chapter one is for walls to keep people out, chapter three is for walls built to protect crops and livestock, and chapter eight is for walls built to make money. Each chapter covers three to five walls from different parts of the world.

The entry on each wall starts with some basic information, including the name of the wall, when it was built, when it was demolished if it is no longer standing, the length and height of the wall, and what the wall was made of. From this, readers can learn that Sungbo’s Eredo was built c. 800-1000, has an estimated length of 160 km to thousands of kilometers, is 14 m high, and is made of earth and rock. All length and height measurements are given in both metric and imperial measurements. The rest of the entry then provides information about the wall, why it was built, and who built it. Every chapter has sidebar entries on walls that are not covered in detail or additional information about the walls, such as where the building materials came from.

The beginning of each chapter has an illustration of the different walls covered, and each wall has at least one illustration or photograph. The illustrations of each wall are done from different perspectives – the Korean demilitarized zone is drawn from a ground level perspective while the walled neighborhoods of Brazil are shown from an overhead perspective. Both the illustrations and the pictures give a great sense of the scale and presence of each wall.

At the end of the book is a glossary with definitions for a variety of words used in the book, from berm to LIDAR to optical dating to Silk Road. The glossary is followed by a list of print and online resources for readers who want to know more about different walls and an index.

Walls provides a fascinating look at some of the different walls built over history, who built them, and why they were built. Walls provides a foundation on the topic for young readers and will be an excellent stepping stone for readers who want to learn more.